Besides the question "Who was the first human on Earth?", the question "Is there life on Mars?" remains a mystery to this day.
Since humans began competing to explore outer space, Mars has become one of the primary research targets for scientists, at least over the past few decades. NASA-sponsored explorations and those by other space agencies have gradually unveiled the secrets of Mars.
Is there really life on the red planet? Let's dive into the article below!
Mars Rovers
The mission to explore Mars began in 2003. In a mission named the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), NASA sent two robots: MER-1 and MER-2.
A third-grade student who won a NASA essay competition proposed renaming MER-1 to "Spirit" and MER-2 to "Opportunity". These names were officially adopted by NASA.
Spirit arrived on Mars on January 4, 2004. Landing in the Gusev Crater area, Spirit began its research on the rocks, soil, and atmosphere of Mars. Expected to operate for 90 days, Spirit actually continued its mission for over six years. Eventually, in 2010, Spirit encountered a fatal technical issue that ended its communication with Earth.
While Spirit explored the southwestern part of Mars, Opportunity landed in an area named Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004. Like Spirit, Opportunity was initially scheduled to operate for 90 days.
However, Opportunity continued to operate for over 14 years, exploring the surface of Mars and collecting important data about the planet's history and conditions. In 2018, communication with Opportunity was lost due to a severe dust storm, marking the end of its mission.
Signs of Life on Mars
After the missions of Spirit and Opportunity concluded, NASA sent another robot named Perseverance. Landing in the Jezero Crater in 2020, Perseverance is equipped with more advanced technology than its predecessors, including four cameras, a drill, X-ray capabilities, and longer-lasting power.
If scientists were previously unsure about life on Mars based on the samples sent by Spirit and Opportunity, this time, the soil and rock samples sent by Perseverance have made scientists start to believe that there once was life on Mars.
In these samples, scientists discovered microorganisms on the surface of Mars that can withstand extreme temperatures for millions of years. Additionally, they found signs of ancient water flow from volcanic rock samples in Jezero Crater.
Projected to operate until 2030, Perseverance still has plenty of time to find more signs of life.
If there was once life on Mars, could there be aliens in outer space? Download Newfemme now and find out the answers!