Mars facts · Gravity
How strong is gravity on Mars?
Gravity on Mars is 3.73 m/s², 38% of Earth’s. Someone who weighs 70 kg (154 lb) on Earth would weigh about 27 kg (59 lb) on Mars. Try your own weight in the calculator.
Updated Sources (7)
Gravity on Mars vs Earth and the Moon
| At the surface | Mars | Earth | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity | 3.73 m/s²12.2 ft/s² | 9.82 m/s²32.2 ft/s² | 1.62 m/s²5.3 ft/s² |
| Compared with Earth | 38% | 100% | 16% |
| A 70 kg (154 lb) person weighs | 27 kg (59 lb) | 70 kg (154 lb) | 12 kg (25 lb) |
| A 50 cm (1.6 ft) jump becomes | 1.3 m (4.3 ft) | 50 cm (1.6 ft) | 3.0 m (9.9 ft) |
| Speed to escape into space | 5.0 km/s | 11.2 km/s | 2.4 km/s |
| Mass (Earth = 1) | 0.107 | 1 | 0.012 |
| Width | 6,779 km (4,212 mi) | 12,742 km (7,918 mi) | 3,475 km (2,159 mi) |
Values from NASA’s planetary fact sheets. Weights and jumps are our calculation, scaled by gravity alone; a spacesuit would add its own weight.[1][2][3]
Why is gravity weaker on Mars?
Mars is smaller and lighter than Earth. It is about half as wide and has about a tenth of Earth’s mass, so it pulls on you with 38% of the force.[1][2] That is still more than twice the Moon’s pull.[3]
What does low gravity do to the body?
Without Earth’s gravity, bones and muscles shrink and weaken, NASA says. Astronauts on the International Space Station exercise for about two hours a day to slow that loss.[4] Without the steady load of Earth’s gravity, weight-bearing bones lose on average 1% to 1.5% of their mineral density a month in space.[6]
Mars would pull on a body with 38% of Earth’s gravity, far more than the near-zero gravity of the space station. Whether that is enough to stay healthy on a long stay isn’t known. A 2021 paper by a NASA Ames researcher found no direct evidence yet on long stays in partial gravity, and concluded from indirect evidence that less than 40% of Earth’s gravity probably isn’t enough to keep muscles, bones and heart in shape over the long term. Exercise helps, the paper says, but may not be enough either.[7]
How do we know Mars’s gravity?
By tracking OrbiterAn orbiter circles Mars without landing, studying the planet from above — and many also relay rover data back to Earth.More in the glossary. As a spacecraft passes over heavier or lighter ground, it speeds up or slows down by tiny amounts, and those changes shift its radio signal. In 2016 NASA turned about 16 years of tracking of three orbiters, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, into its most detailed gravity map of Mars. The pull is a bit stronger over a mountain and slightly weaker over a canyon.[5]
The same tracking showed that Mars has a liquid outer core, and that 3 to 4 trillion tons of carbon dioxide freeze onto the polar cap of whichever hemisphere is in winter.[5]
Questions
What is the gravity on Mars?
3.73 m/s², or 38% of Earth’s. Something dropped on Mars speeds up by 3.73 meters per second every second, against 9.82 on Earth.
How much would I weigh on Mars?
About 38% of your Earth weight. 70 kg (154 lb) on Earth is about 27 kg (59 lb) on Mars. The calculator at the top of this page works it out for your own weight.
Is gravity on Mars stronger than on the Moon?
Yes, more than twice as strong: 3.73 m/s² against the Moon’s 1.62 m/s².
Could you jump higher on Mars?
About 2.6 times higher, if your legs push as hard as they do on Earth: a 50 cm (1.6 ft) jump becomes about 1.3 m (4.3 ft). A spacesuit would add its own weight.
Is gravity the same everywhere on Mars?
Almost. NASA’s fact sheet gives 3.69 m/s² at the equator and 3.73 m/s² at the poles, and tracking orbiters shows the pull is a bit stronger over mountains and slightly weaker over canyons.
Why is Mars’s gravity weaker than Earth’s?
Because Mars has much less mass: about a tenth of Earth’s, in a planet about half as wide.
Sources
- NASA NSSDCA — Mars Fact SheetPrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA NSSDCA — Earth Fact SheetPrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA NSSDCA — Moon Fact SheetPrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA — Astronaut ExercisePrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA JPL — New Gravity Map Gives Best View Yet Inside MarsPrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA Human Research Program — Hazard: Gravity FieldsPrimary · checked Oct 4, 2026
- NASA Technical Reports Server — The Partial Gravity of the Moon and Mars Appears Insufficient to Maintain Human Health (H. W. Jones, NASA Ames, ICES-2021-142)Primary · checked Oct 4, 2026