QUESTION: What is the atmospheric pressure at the lowest point on the surface of Mars? How long could a person conceivably survive there without benefit of a pressure suit? ANSWER from Nathan Bridges on November 30, 1999: At the lowest point on Mars' surface, which is 7-8 km below the arbitrary mean datum, the atmopsheric pressure can get as high as ~ 17 mbars. To put this in perspective, Earth's pressure at sea level is 1 bar, or 1000 mbars. With this low pressure and a CO2 composition, a person would survive no more than a few seconds without a pressure suit.