NASA Could Be Close to Discovering Life on Mars

Today, NASA began a historic mission, one that could have immense implications in humankind’s future Mars study. 

Over the next two years, NASA will utilize their new vessel, a six-wheeled rover known as Perseverance, to search for microbial traces or remains of ancient life along the surface of the Red Planet’s equator.

For NASA, getting Perseverance onto Mars was no easy task. In fact, the previous success rate for Mars landings is only around half, and Perseverance’s trial was deemed riskier than others. Hence, when the official touchdown was declared at 3:55 pm ET, NASA offices and exploration enthusiasts erupted into collective celebration. 

Overall, the mission totals $3 billion and hopes to uncover information about previously sustained life on Mars and further progress towards humanity’s first steps on the planet. Janet Ivey, president of the Explore Mars nonprofit organization, told NBC, “There’s a real probability that the Perseverance mission increases the chances of seeing humans on Mars in my lifetime.”

Alongside the future implications towards putting humans on the planet, we may also see the first accurate samples of Mars’s surface come back to earth. Although scientists have received pieces of Mars in the form of asteroid chunks, their contents were significantly altered due to the cosmic radiation and extreme heat that occurred upon atmospheric entrance. 

Perseverance is equipped with 43 collection canisters, hopefully allowing for a quantifiable sample of the Martian environment. The samples are expected to return around 2031 in a coordinated crash landing in the Utah desert.

Stationed near the Jezero Crater, NASA hopes for the environment to provide Perseverance with a selection of samples dating back 3.6 million years, which will allow for a new perspective on ancient Martian history. Similarly, scientists believe that the Jezero Crater would be an ideal location for preserving biosignatures, making it the perfect place for NASA’s study.