New evidence discovered by ESA thanks to its orbiter might help scientists boost the search for life on Mars. Even more, the never-before-seen Martian river canals snapped by ESA might suggest that life thrived on the Red Planet in its early history.
The possibility that life on Mars could’ve existed once has intrigued scientists for many years. But, even though NASA and ESA sent lots of rovers and orbiters to examine the Red Planet, the proof the Mars was indeed inhabited was late to come out to light. Now, ESA’s newest image of Mars revealed that, undoubtedly, water once flowed on Mars.
And, following the example of our planet, where’s water, there’s life. Accordingly, life on Mars could’ve existed in the planet’s early history, as ESA scientists suggested. The European Space Agency also said that next year, along with Roscosmos (Russia’s space agency), it would launch the ExoMars mission which would consist of a rover which would have the job to search for life on Mars.
ESA’s Orbiter Snapped Never-Before-Seen Martian River Canals, Suggesting That Life on Mars Could’ve Existed Once
“A tantalizing question raised by this warmer and wetter climate is whether conditions would have been suitable for life – a topic at the heart of Mars exploration. Next year, ESA and Roscosmos will launch the ExoMars mission comprising a rover – recently named Rosalind Franklin – and a surface science platform. The rover will drive to interesting locations to drill below the surface in search for signs of life – the first mission of its kind,” ESA said in a statement.
As for the importance of finding evidence that water existed on Mars, “water is the Holy Grail of life. Find the water, and then you have a chance of finding life, as far as we understand, you need water to survive,” said John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science at the Open University, for BBC in 2007.
“But [Mars] may also be able to support primitive life – so there might be another sort of life we cannot imagine. For the last 25 years, it was described as being pretty much unlikely to be able to support life, but the pendulum is swinging,” Zarnecki added.