Why is it called the Red Planet? Was it always like this? Does Mars have a history of flowing rivers or having an earth-like surface? If it had water in liquid form, did live exist on it? Most importantly, the biggest question, can we still find living beings on Mars?
There are so many questions that still need to be answered and scientists are working on it. NASA has already planned a lot of missions and sent some robotic probes in the outer space and even to the red planet itself to study about it.
A lot of pictures have been accumulated as a result and even samples have been brought back from the unknown world known as Mars. Traces of lifeforms have also been discovered in those samples but is that mean that there could still be life on Mars?
Knowing about ‘The Red Planet’
Image Source: Daily Express
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is nearly half the size of earth. As we know that most of its surface is covered with red dust causing it to appear red, this is why it is widely known as The Red Planet.
The surface of Mars as we see in the pictures taken from the outer space is covered with craters and volcanoes. It has also got patterns and series of shapes that appear as if they were once filled with water. These ‘empty water channel’ like landforms are found at different places on the surface of Mars.
This is how they program and prepare a robotic probe to drive down those red alleys on the surface of Mars!
Life on Mars
We know that water is the driving force behind the evolution of life. Where there is water, there are living beings as well. So, let’s think for a second about the surface and atmosphere of Mars. How can water flow in such an atmosphere?
Well, the answer to that question is pretty simple. Mars has a surprising history since the pictures of the planet show water channels like landforms on the surface and it means that water once had flowed in them. All these signs indicate that Mars planet once had a similar atmosphere to that of earth.
Image Source: Ars Technica
We know that life thrives in the oceans and the rivers here on earth. Water combined with hot geysers are the key ingredients of new lifeforms here on our planet. However, this could have been the case once on Mars too.
We still don’t much about it because of the distance and we rely on the information and pictures shared by these robotic probes. NASA believe that there is a lot to be discovered about the planet and the sustainability of life in the environment that it has to offer.
In search of proof?
Source: Science News for students
A lot of efforts are being made to gather more and more evidence that proves about the existence of life on Mars. Scientists have a conviction about it, they somehow believe that life existed on Mars and that they are still chances to find something significant about the lifeforms from the Red Planet.
To get answer to all these questions, they have planned some more missions in future. Most of them would be based on sending robotic probes but a few of them are going to be carrying astronauts.
Does it remind you of that movie called ‘The Martian’? In which they have shown a guy who gets stuck on Mars. No doubt, it was a good movie and they have shown us a glimpse of future where humans would have a proper base station on the planet.
However, it is a land far far away and getting there is a challenge in itself. Keep today’s technology into consideration, it would take us maybe dozens of years to visit Mars. Nevertheless, this fact is not stopping scientist from there research and they are devising ways and working on solutions to over this time and distance barrier somehow with the use of modern technology.
Does life on Mars still exist?
Coming to our main question, which is obviously the most favorite thing we would like to talk about. Recently teams of biologists and scientists around the world have conducted researches in which they have come across some rear living species who can survive in some of the most hostile environment.
Whether it below freezing, boiling hot temperatures or an environment filled with harmful and toxic fumes, these creatures were found alive. These kin of discoveries not only hold a lot of answers but also give birth to many questions as well.
All these questions can be related to the life on Mars and its existence. Mars has eater in the form of frozen glaciers. Like us, a lot of scientists are positive that they are going to find some amazingly new and alien lifeforms on Mars one day.
