We're not alone in the universe.
At least, that's what Dr. Jim Green, Chief Scientist at the NASA, predicts would be the result of the upcoming rover missions. He warns, however, that the public might not be prepared for the news.
Both NASA and ExoMars (a joint programme between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, the Russian state corporation for space activities) are planning to send rovers to Mars to investigate the planet's surface within the next few years. NASA will be sending its rover to the Jezero Crater, a clay and carbonate-rich site which suggests chemical alteration by water, while ExoMars will be sending their rover to Oxia Planum near the Martian equator, which is thought to have once been water rich and teeming with life.
The ExoMars rover, named Rosalind Franklin after the British scientist, and the currently unnamed NASA rover (they're still accepting name submissions until November 1st) will be drilling around two meters down the surface and collecting rock samples called "regolith." These samples will then be analyzed with the hope of finding evidence of living organisms.
Recent research from the Curiosity rover has found indications that are likely that life may have existed on the Red Planet some time ago.
A few months ago, data retrieved from the Curiosity rover found that it was able to detect unusually large amounts of methane—a chemical compound produced in abundance by Earth's microorganisms. Three times as high than previously recorded data, the finding is remarkable since methane tends to break down when exposed to sunlight, possibly hinting that the gas was produced relatively recently. While there is also the chance that the methane may have been a byproduct of purely geothermal reactions and might be older than expected, the possibility that life on Mars may have produced the gas has yet to be discounted.
Just recently, Curiosity scientists published that the rover was able to find evidence of an ancient oasis on the planet, further pointing to the possibility of supporting life on the Red Planet. Although the oasis has long since dried up, the presence of mineral salts and sulfates (critical to supporting life) in the location provides more evidence of the life-supporting capability of Mars.
With more and more indicators showing that life could be supported on the Red Planet, it's no wonder that Dr. Jim Green is confident in that they're close to discovering concrete evidence in such a short time. However, the implications of actually finding it pose a whole new set of questions. In an interview with The Telegraph, he says:
"What happens next is a whole new set of scientific questions. Is that life like us? How are we related? Can life move from planet-to-planet, or do we have a spark and just the right environment, and that spark generates life?"
Both NASA and ExoMars rovers are set to arrive on Mars in March 2021.
