NASA and other space agencies have coordinated many missions to Mars, the fourth planet away from the sun in our solar system. From orbiters to landers and rovers, the missions often have the same ultimate aim – to discover if there ever was, or ever could be, life on the Red Planet.
Has there ever been life on Mars?
Perseverance is the newest NASA rover, setting down on the Martian surface in 2021. It is collecting samples from rock cores, where minuscule traces of life from the past may have been trapped.
Other NASA rovers have discovered evidence of flowing water in the past, and ice and water that is still present today.
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Can a living thing survive on Mars today?
The question as to whether the planet may be capable of hosting life in the future is trickier to answer. In 2021, a joint study between NASA and the German Aerospace Centre sent a weather balloon high into the stratosphere, testing fungi and bacteria within the high levels of UV radiation and thin atmosphere found on the red planet.
Scientists carry out experiments in the stratosphere so as not to contaminate the planet's surface.
Spores from a black mould called Aspergillus niger, found on fruits and vegetables, survived the trip. With its ability to grow in such a challenging environment, it could help feed future colonies on Mars.
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