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Learn about the early speculation and scientific missions to find life on Mars, a planet with similarities and differences to Earth. Explore the evidence of past and present habitability, biosignatures, and organic compounds on Mars.
Jul 26, 2024 · Yesterday, NASA announced that a rock spotted on Mars by its Perseverance rover contained some of the best signs yet that ancient microbial life may have once existed on the Red Planet.
Feb 15, 2021 · Learn about the history, evidence, and search for life on Mars, from ancient fossils to modern missions. Find out why Mars is no longer habitable for complex life and how it could have seeded Earth with microbes.
Nov 28, 2023 · The Mars 2020 mission is searching for signs of past or present life on Mars using rover Perseverance. Learn about the astrobiological potential of Jezero Crater, the instruments used to collect and analyze samples, and the importance of returning them to Earth.
5 days ago · The web page explores the possibility of life on Mars in the past or present, based on the evidence of water and sulfate on the planet. It suggests that chemoautotrophic bacteria like Desulfovibrio could have survived on Mars, and that climate changes could revive dormant life.
Sep 8, 2021 · Ell Bogat from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center discusses the possibility of past and present life on Mars. He explains the challenges and evidence of finding habitable environments and signs of life on the Red Planet.
Apr 3, 2021 · Evidence of microfossils would show that planets outside our humble rock could have supported life — and make it clear life could exist elsewhere if the chemistry allowed it.
John Grant, a planetary geologist at the National Air and Space Museum, has been studying ancient waterbeds and possible habitable environments on Mars for decades. He co-led the process of choosing Jezero crater as Perseverance rover's landing site and hopes to find evidence of past or present life on the red planet.
Oct 4, 2016 · If life existed on Mars, it would have had to deal with harsh radiation—and any traces of that life might only be found deep under the soil today.
Jul 20, 2021 · NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has begun its search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. Flexing its 7-foot (2-meter) mechanical arm, the rover is testing the sensitive detectors it carries, capturing their first science readings.