NASA claims that it is close to finding out if life is possible on Mars. With its lander and all the information they provide to the scientists from the International Space Station (ISS), the space agency is confident that they would be able to unlock the secret life on the Red Planet. However, the chief of the space agency is worried that the world might not be ready for a "revolution."
In two years, the space rover to Mars from both the American (NASA) and the European (ESA) will be launched in space to hopefully find evidence of life. These space missions will be weeks apart but are both expected to reach the Red Planet by March 2021. ESA recently announced that they are finalizing their plans to explore the Moon and Mars and hopefully announce the final decision by the end of this year.
NASA's Mars exploration aims to achieve a smooth landing on the surface of the Red Planet. Everything else that will come out of it would be extra. Specifically, the rover is designed to search for spaces on the planet that may be habitable to various life forms including humans. In the past, Mars has been known for the microbial life that used to exist on the planet. The Mars 2020 rover will drill on the bedrock and collect samples and put them in test tubes to be transported back to the planet. This may be the first of its testing to be done on Earth.
Rosalind, the name given to ESA's ExoMars Rover, is in commemoration of the life and contributions of the chemist Rosalind Franklin. Her greatest contribution was the discovery of the structure of the DNA. The rover will be searching the planet for extraterrestrial signature for life. The samples that are to be collected will be crushed and studied for their chemical content.
In 2020, there will be two launches set in slightly different times, but both rovers are expected to arrive on the planet Mars within weeks. Jim Green, chief executive of NASA, said that the discoveries made on Mars will only open new doors to new studies.
"It will be presenting new questions. Sadly, I don't think the world is ready for the answers," said Jim Green during an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. He also said that he has been worried about it because he feels that with great effort, they are to find it soon. "The agency might make announcements, but we're not sure if the world is ready for it."
Green also emphasized that the questions that will follow will be a little bit more scientific. "Will that like be like that of human life? How is human life related to it?" he said.
There are a number of planets in the galaxy that has been considered uninhabitable. However, recent discoveries seem to show otherwise.
