Mars is a plant that has given mankind something to think about, has been the scene of many science fiction stories, and is a place where we think life may have existed once. With the Curiosity Rover moving around the planet, a new announcement has been slated to be released soon. The finding, which hasn’t been said or even eluded to yet has been told to be one for the history books. With a piece of information like that, what could the findings actually be? Could it be signs of life in the form of methane gas, or some other major find?
False Positives But Hope
Previously, an announcement was made that the rover found methane gas on Mars, but this turned out to be a false positive. What is through to have happened is that gas from its launch site in Florida became trapped in the body of the rover. The SAM instrument, short for Sample Analysis at Mars, is taking readings of various rocks, gases and substances to find out if there was life on Mars previously, and if it’s possible for life on Mars to exist. Water flows have been found on Mars previously, with evidence at Gale Crater of a large water deposit.
Due to the previous announcement being a non-event, NASA are keeping their observations and hopes under wraps, to avoid getting anyone’s hopes up. Many people, professionals and amateurs, are awaiting news from the Curiosity rover, and had their hopes dashed by the recalling of last announcement. It will be some time before any positive news comes out, most likely a few more weeks. In the meantime, the rover will continue testing the landscape and air to see what, if anything, can be found to indicate life.
The Search for More and Questions
The SAM instrument is searching for more than just methane, with other compounds being tested for include hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. If one or more of these substances are found, then it’s possible that life once existed on Mars, or may still exist in some other form.
The question of life on Mars brings forth many questions for people. If there was life on Mars, where did it go? Did it die out or move on to somewhere else? What type of life forms lived on Mars? Could humans make a base on Mars and live there, with humans one day being born on Mars? Or are we just hoping we’re not alone in the universe, and willing to grab on to any small glimpse of hope that there’s life beyond earth?
The US, under President Barack Obama, is hoping to for humans to reach Mars by 2030. This would be a huge moment for humanity, and if there’s a way to sustain life, we may end up seeing humanity living on Mars. Space is the final frontier that is almost infinite. There seems to be so many discoveries waiting to happen, what news will come next will change how we view ourselves and the universe around us.
