Mars is a planet that is described as cold and dry. However, approximately 3 billion years ago Mars had liquid water running along its surface, which scientists believe could have helped microbial life flourish (Wall, 2016). Scientists have believed for many years that there are specific elements required for life to exist; hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen (Wall, 2016). In some habitats scientists have discovered some species that can survive without some of these elements, leading researches to believe that life could potentially survive with much less on other planets in the universe, like Mars.
A complex organism like a human requires many different elements for survival; the four main elements include carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen
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This field would have protected the atmosphere from most of the suns radiation, as well as potentially been able to hold more oxygen in the atmosphere, allowing life to flourish (NASA, 2016).
Scientists have found evidence of several different elements being found on Mars, that suggest potential life could survive presently, in the future, or perhaps in the past. Mars has an atmosphere that is about 1% of what the atmosphere on Earth is (Sharp, 2012). This meaning that the planet is not protected from the suns radiation, at is about 95% carbon dioxide, lethal to humans, but may have had potential to sustain life in the past (Sharp, 2012).
Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit were meant to complete their original mission in April 2004, but are still operational and sending back more information about the terrain on Mars (Rayal, 2016). Perhaps one of the most interesting discoveries these rovers have unearthed is a substantial silica deposit, roughly 90% pure silica, found nearly 1,200 days after first touchdown on Mars (Rayal, 2016). What makes this so interesting is that for this much silica to be formed, scientists believe that the presence of liquid water must have been part of the process in creating this concentration of silica (Rayal, 2016). The amount of water needed to create this deposit would have been large enough to potentially
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The rover landed in Gale Crater, which is believed to have been at one time, a great lake. Mars has signs of several large lakes where water would settle for periods of time, as well as many rivers and streams that ran into another (NASA, 2015). When people think about life in space, they usually think about current or future life forms. However, much like several civilizations on Earth, there may have once been life on Mars in the past, that have now vanished into the dusty atmosphere that now covers most of Mars. These vast water ways are believed to have been able to sustain life, approximately six billion years ago (NASA, 2015). NASA is planning on launching a new mission to Mars in the mid 2030’s, equipped with more advanced technology that would be able to dig deeper into the sediment to retrieve larger, more accurate samples, and hopefully tap into some underground reservoirs (NASA,
I hope I have educated you and answered some questions. I have written as much information as I could find on these life crucial elements. These elements are very important and crucial to our life.
The air in Mars is really thin and if there was any liquid on mars it would all boil through. There is low oxygen and it is impossible to breath. The martian clouds contain crystals of water ice. The air is so thin That water droplets cannot form in Mars Atmosphere. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth, Scientist measured if you times Mount Everest three times it would equal how the air is on Mars. When the air is that thin water can boil at low temperatures and near its freezing
I believe that it is possible for Mars to have the ability to support life because of the possibility of there being water increases the probability of organisms being able to exist on Mars’ ecosystem, therefore the chance of Mars being able to sustain life. Furthermore, even if water never did or will, as a matter of fact, exist on Mars there is a chance that an organism is able to survive without it.
Mars is most likely planet that has the ingredients of life that is need for a living organism in the solar system other than the known planet Earth. These ingredients of life are the following. The planet in question must be at the correct distance from a host star. Mars is a planet that is on the outer edge of being correct distance of its host star. Next item is that the planet must have water. Mars has water but its water is frozen in the planet ice caps or under the soil. Last is that the planet must have an atmosphere that is suitable for living organisms. Mars’s atmosphere is weak and it is being blown away by the solar winds form the host star. (""Life" on Mars") With Mars’s weak atmosphere the surface temperature of the planet is every cold and the water on the surface of plane...
“I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime” was said by Buzz Aldrin, a NASA astronaut. The former American aeronaut from Montclair, New Jersey believes that since Mars does exist, it is waiting to be reached by humans. When this would happen, he says that the human race would “evolve into a two-planet species.” Present day Mars has a lot of canyons, mountains and volcanoes. Even though the surface is Mars is very old, scientists learned about different younger rift valleys, plains, hills and ridges. According to recent reports, there were lakes and rivers, along with an ocean billions of years ago. The low temperatures on the planet cause there to be polar ice caps and frozen water present. Scientists continue to notice several discoveries on the planet that lead them to think there was once life on the planet. Different clues have scientists wanting to find out about even more. Many scientists in the past few centuries have been curious if life on Mars is possible or if it has ever been before.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched two similar twin robotic rovers, which were Spirit and Opportunity toward Mars on 10 June and 7 July 2003 (NASA 2012). Spirit and Opportunity landed in Gusev Crater on 4 January 2004 and in Meridiani Planum on 25 January 2004 respectively (NASA 2012). Opportunity is still operating and roving after 10 years on the Martian surface while final communication of Spirit to the Earth took place on 22 March 2010, which is around six years into its mission (NASA 2012). The rovers were thought to last 20 times longer as compared to its original design. As part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, the Mars Exploration Rover mission is a continuing multi-mission effort to study Mars as a possible habitation for past or present life and to look for signs of life as well as to prepare for human exploration. Primary objective of the Mars Exploration Rover mission is to explore and characterize a wide range of soils and rocks that possess clues or evidences to past water activity on Mars (NASA 2012).
Scientists have dreamt over the possibility that it may be possible to live on another planet. Some think that Mars has that potential to support life, if it's hidden resources are uncovered and exploited to their full potential. There is even evidence that it once contained enough water that it had been possible to hold life. Think about it, what if we could transform it into such a place, even if only our children's children get to see any result? The following will describe Mars, present evidence of ice and water, give possible ideas for the future exploration of Mars, and give reasons for why it is important.
Humans, bears, and trees all have one thing in common, they all have atoms and molecules. They also need the four elements of life to survive, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. An atom is the smallest part of an element that is still that element. A molecule is two or more atoms joined and acting as a unit. There are four different types of molecules, they are, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
There are over a million different planets in our universe. There is not one planet like the other, though some people may argue with this fact. Jupiter, Saturn, are all gas giants, but they also are made up of different gasses. Jupiter is made up of mostly hydrogen, Saturn is made up of hydrogen and helium. I am sure that everyone knows that the rock planets are not alike in many different ways, there is mercury which is very hot, and most likely just a planet of lava. Then there is earth which is rock and water. All that being said life could exist on any planet with water and solid ground. In my own opinion, I think that life could exist on other planets than our own. Life can exist if there is the tiniest spec that can grow, evolve, and become whatever it needs to survive. Honestly how does one think that veins of water on mars were formed?
The water contained under the soil has had some various effects on the Mars terrain. When the robots were on mars collecting samples, they found some rocks that looked like rocks from prehistoric life here on earth. When analyzing these samples, the scientists deemed that the water was very acidic and salty. This is similar to some of the earlier times in the Australian area.
If we know what makes life on earth habitable, we may be able to figure out how to sustain life on other planets. Using our knowledge about life on Earth will enable us to learn more about information on other planets. It is important to compare the life sustained on Earth and the life on another planet, as they could contrast each other greatly. According to NASA, many missions have taken place and many more will continue in the future (Fletcher 2016). The great number of missions operating shows how significant a question like “Is there life?” can be. This one question can unravel into many more sub-questions, such as the questions described
Recently, two probes were sent back and they made it to Mars. They landed on the South Polar Caps of Mars. That is where NASA plans to find water. After landing on Mars, the probes extracted water like crystals from the surface of Mars. They found that there was a small amount of water in the crystals, which means that there is a strong chance that life, was on Mars at one time.
With a field as large as space is, metaphorically and literally, there is no end to all the advantages that can come of exploring the magnificent cosmos. One of the major questions we face currently is the possibility of life on other planets. “NASA's biggest ambition is the hunt for life and a habitat that can support life. Several planned or prepared missions will specifically explore the question of whether or not life exists, or once existed, elsewhere in out solar system” (Folger 3). That's exactly what we plan on using the Curiosity rover for. The MSL (Mars Space Laboratory) Curiosity rover was launched November 26th, 2011 and landed on Mars on August 6th, 2012 (Launch 2). “MSL Curiosity's mission is to analyze the climate, geology, and habitability of Mars to see if there is or has ever been life on Mars. Then, after gathering enough data, it will see if it's feasible to send a manned mission to Mars” (Anthony 2). We are already searching ...
Mars is a very similar planet to earth in relation to size and atmosphere. Therefore it seemed like the most likely place to search for life. At the end of the 19th century, an American named Percival Lowell built himself an observatory so that it was possible for him to study Mars in intimate detail when its orbit was closest to Earth. At this time it had recently been suggested that the planet had a system of channels on the surface, present from the evaporation of flowing water. Looking through his telescope Lowell became convinced he could see a network of artificial canals. This led him to believe that there were intelligent beings on Mars who had built these canals. However, spacecraft have now visited Mars and found that there is no evidence of water at all. It is now thought that the lines he could see were the combination of Lowell's overactive imagination, and scratches on the lens of his telescope. We are now searching one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, as this seems to be the next likely place to hold life.
...ws radiation from the sun to expose the surface of the planet, adding to environment changes. If life exists on Mars today, it is most likely hiding beneath the surface. Over the past four billion years Earth has had many rocks blown from the surface of Mars, after much research, scientists say that of the thirty-four meteorites, three have the potential to carry evidence of past life on Mars (Carey, 2006). Researches have gathered evidence and continue to explore for life outside of Earth. Earth has provided these scientists with enough knowledge to understand the components needed to sustain life, therefore any research found is compared to the knowledge already understood about life on Earth. Earth is home to billions of plants, animals, bacteria and all types of living things, it is where human beings have evolved and adapted making this planet our home.