Life on Mars
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A new study published in the journal Science shows definitive evidence of organic matter on the surface of Mars. The data was collected by NASA's nuclear-powered rover Curiosity. It confirms earlier findings that the Red Planet once contained carbon-based compounds. These compounds – also called organic molecules – are essential ingredients for life as scientists understand it.
The organic molecules were found in Mars's Gale Crater, a large area that may have been a watery lake over three billion years ago. The rover encountered traces of the molecule in rocks extracted from the area. The rocks also contain sulfur, which scientists speculate helped preserve the organics even when the rocks were exposed to the harsh radiation on the surface of the planet.
Scientists are quick to state that the presence of these organic molecules is not sufficient evidence for ancient life on Mars, as the molecules could have been formed by non-living processes. But it's still one of the most astonishing discoveries, which could lead to future revelations. Especially when one considers the other startling find that Curiosity uncovered around five years ago.
The rover analyses the air around it periodically, and in 2014 it found the air contained another of the most basic organic molecules and a key ingredient of natural gas: methane. One of the characteristics of methane is that it only survives a few hundred years. This means that something, somewhere on Mars, is replenishing the supply. According to NASA, Mars emits thousands of tons of methane at a time. The level of methane rises and falls at seasonal intervals in the year, almost as if the planet is breathing it.
NASA suspects the methane comes from deep under the surface of the planet. The variations in temperature on the surface of Mars cause the molecule to flow upwards at higher or lower levels. For example, in the Martian winter the gas could get trapped in underground icy crystals. These crystals, called clathrates, melt in the summer and release the gas. However, the source of the methane is still a complete mystery.
The world of astrobiology considers both of these studies as historical milestones. According to this information, Mars is not a dead planet. On the contrary, it is quite active and may be changing and becoming more habitable.
Of course, this means further research is necessary. Scientists say they need to send new equipment to Mars, equipment that can measure the air and soil with more precision. There are already missions underway. The European Space Agency's ExoMars ship lands in 2020 and will be able to drill into the ground on Mars to analyse what it finds. Additionally, NASA is sending another Mars Rover in the same year to collect samples of Martian soil and return them to Earth.
The possibility of life on Mars has fascinated humans for generations. It has been the subject of endless science-fiction novels and films. Are we alone in the universe or have there been other life forms within our Solar System? If the current missions to the Red Planet continue, it looks as if we may discover the answer very soon.
The text highlights that Mars is not a dead planet. Evidence of organic molecules and methane suggests that the planet is active and may even be becoming more habitable. Scientists are sending new missions, such as the European Space Agency’s ExoMars and NASA’s new rover, to study the soil and atmosphere more closely. These discoveries are historical milestones in astrobiology, showing that Mars has the basic ingredients for life and a dynamic environment.
However, while this makes the idea of living on Mars more realistic, it does not mean humans will settle there soon. The presence of organic molecules and methane does not guarantee that Mars can support human life without advanced technology. People would need protection from radiation, extreme temperatures, and limited resources.
Based on the text, it seems possible that humans may one day live on Mars, but it will require significant scientific progress and technological innovation. The discoveries of organics and methane are encouraging signs, yet they are only the first steps toward making Mars habitable for humans.
The colonisation of other planets has always been a fascinating topic for many people: the idea of living on a place different from earth is surely a beautiful desire. However, today this is still an improbable project: even the most cutting-edge rocket we ever built is not suited for transporting humans to the surface of Mars. The voyage to mars would lqast over a year and astronauts would be exposed to very high levels of radiation which could prove fatal to them within a couple of months.
Supposing that we find a way to protect the astronauts from this radiation, once they reach the surface of the planet they would not be able to freely explore it, even with space suits. The temperature of the surface can vary from being close to the absolute zero to reaching hundreds of degrees: obviously the human body can't stand these conditions. Some people suggest building structures in advance where the astronauts could live; unfortunatelly, even buildings would be brought down by this temperatures. Furthermore, we need to remember that there are constant events of extreme wether like excessively strong winds or earthquakes which are very unsuitable for human life.
Essentially, not only is it very difficult and expensive to reach the planet, but also it's impossible to live on its surface. However, we do not need to get discouraged: there are still some hypotetical solution.
The most interesting one is the terraformation of Mars: I cannot explain in this short essay how this process would be like or else I would risk trivialising it. Nevertheless, the most important factor is time: installing machines and other installation on the entire surface and wait for them so as to have at least a safe and stable surface which would allow us to start a new civilisation would be almost an everlasting process which would require the cooperation of many generations. It is almost hilarious thinking that such small creatures like humans would be able to change the climate of an entire planet but we can already see how we managed to cause global warming in a matter of one hundred years, although doing the same thing on mars would be prohibitively expensive.
Living on Mars always creates a series of ethical and scientific concerns but curiosity still leads us to find a compatible solution for achieving this objective. If human beings did not have the desire of exploring new planets, we would not have been to the moon, so it is not very unlikely that we may find another brilliant plan.
I enjoy learning English here, and I suggest keeping updates with these kinds of articles (eg, The European Space Agency's ExoMars ship lands in 2020)
Thank you
Hello Lyeses
Thanks for letting us know and for the heads-up about the ExoMars landing, which happened about a year or two after this page was written.
We do periodic reviews of our pages to try to keep them up to date, but with hundreds of pages and little extra time, it takes some time to do this.
So it's very helpful when people like you point out issues to us. I'll make a note about this page for when we get to that task.
Best wishes
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
If the technology thrives, we may be qualified enough to send rockets and establish life on Mars.
Wow, though the traces found were the tiniest, they also give us hope for different life forms in the universe. We can see the incredible speed of humankind's development in the past centuries. It is promising that humans can invent more technologies to live on Mars someday.
The technology develop so fast today. I believe that human will overcome the challenge to conquer the universe.
It could be, but I have an important question too: Will humans take care of their own planet one day? Man, I live in El Salvador and right now it is raining. We have a lot of problems in different places due to contamination.
If you could live on Mars if it is adapted to the requirements for humans to live, you could make oxygen domes, but it would also be water as it is very essential, thinking about it would serve more to obtain resources.