The SEARCH for LIFE on MARS

The surface of Mars is a frozen, lifeless, barren desert with just a wispy thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Ancient Mars however had a remarkably different environment thanks to a high temperature molten iron core that produced a protective magnetic field which shielded the planet from the destructive cosmic rays that now bombard its surface. Approximately 3.5 billion years ago Mars had a warm and dense, almost Earth-like atmosphere and rivers of liquid water flowed into oceans and lakes which just might have been teeming with primitive forms of microscopic life such as bacteria, protozoa, amoebas, paramecia, diatoms, and other unicellular organisms.

Obtaining proof of such microscopic extra-terrestrial life forms would be considered one of the greatest scientific discoveries in human history. The search for chemical, mineralogical, and even fossil evidence of microbial life on Mars took a major leap forward on Thursday, February 18, 2021 when the NASA rover “Perseverance” successfully landed on Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient river delta and lake. The goal of this NASA mission is to collect samples of sedimentary rocks and analyze them for the presence of bio-chemical signatures, biominerals, and microbial fossils. Stay tuned! As the name “Perseverance” implies, this is an extended mission which will take 10 years to complete when the rock samples are finally returned to Earth in 2031 for further study and hopefully the confirmation of definitive evidence of extra-terrestrial life.