If NASA is looking for life on Mars, why didn't they land a Rover on the Polar Ice Cap?  Water = Life?
453165
The polar ice caps on Mars aren't water ice.  They are carbon dioxide ice (also known as dry ice).\n\nThe site selection for where they land the probes are based on a number of parameters, including the amount of open area and interesting geological formations in the region that they'd like to take a closer look at.\n\nIn the Rover's case, one of the parameters was spectrographic and IR telemetry readings that suggested the presence of some compounds that normally form in water, and physical features that appeared to be created by water erosion, so that was determined to be an ideal place to look for the presence of water on or below the surface.
612547
Yes i have some interesting facts about mars!!!The belief that there may be life on Mars was popularized in the 19th century, mainly due to the announcement of Martian canals from the observations by Percival Lowell and Giovanni Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli called these observed features canali, meaning channels in Italian. This was popularly mistranslated as 'canals', and the myth of the Martian canals began. They were apparently artificial linear features on the surface that were asserted to be canals, and together with the seasonal changes in the brightness of some areas, they were thought to be linked with vegetation growth. This gave rise to many stories concerning Martians. The linear features are now known to be mostly non-existent or, in some cases, dry ancient watercourses. The color changes have been ascribed to dust storms. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere isn't any that we've yet discovered. But there's plenty of evidence that there was once water, and so possibly there was once life, although we've yet to discover any fossils or anything like that. If there was life, it was probably only microbial. But hey, it's a whole planet, who knows what we'll find. \n\n\n\nThere is no life on Mars, however their are all the signs that life was their once since their are large river like gorges covering the planet. Since then Mars' core (i think) cooled to low to support life and so everything cooled. Search for life still continues with little success. \n\n\n\nLife on mars is very possible. It would probably have lived a looooong time ago, back when mars probably had water. Most of that water is frozen in permafrost now though! A mars mission would look for fossil es as well as signs of water being on the surface.
524151
The idea that life could, or even does, exist on Mars has a long history. In 1877 the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli claimed to have seen a planet-wide system of channels (Italian canali). The American astronomer Percival Lowell then popularized these faint lines as canals and held them out as proof of a vast attempt by intelligent beings to irrigate an arid planet. Subsequent spacecraft observations have shown that there are no canals on Mars, and various other alleged proofs of life on the planet have turned out to be equally illusory. The dark areas once thought to be oases are not green, as contrast effects had made them seem to terrestrial observers, and their spectra contain no evidence of organic materials. The seasonal changes in the appearance of these areas are not due to any vegetative cycle, but to seasonal Martian winds blowing sterile sand and dust. Water probably occurs only as ice on and below the surface and as trace amounts of vapour or ice crystals in the Martian atmosphere. The strongest evidence against the presence of life, however, is the thinness of the atmosphere and the fact that the surface of the planet is exposed not only to lethal doses of solar ultraviolet radiation but also to the chemical effects of highly oxidizing substances (such as hydrogen peroxide) produced by photochemistry.\n\nPerhaps the most fundamental and far-reaching result obtained by the Viking landers is that the Martian soil contains no organic material (there is no reason to assume that the two landing sites are not representative of the planet as a whole). Although small amounts of organic molecules are continually being supplied to the surface of Mars by carbonaceous meteoroids, this material is apparently destroyed before it has a chance to accumulate. The results of the soil analysis for organic molecules carried out by the Viking landers provide no evidence for the existence of life.\n\n Answering the question of life on Mars will probably involve...returning [samples] to Earth  \n\nA more difficult question is whether life has ever existed on Mars, given the strong evidence of climatic change and the indications of a previously warmer, thicker atmosphere. Suggestions that structures found in a meteorite discovered in Antarctica, which may have been blasted off the Martian surface, were fossil traces of bacteria-like organisms have since been discounted. However, answering the question of life on Mars will probably involve collecting carefully selected subsurface samples and returning them to Earth for detailed analysis. NASA has proposed a manned expedition to Mars early in the 21st century.
791619
The only clues to life on Mars are that it once had water, and there may be water beneath the surface in which some kind of primitive life might have survived from Mars watery period.  \n\nSome water ice also forms at the poles, and may harbor some primitive lifeforms that respond to the seasons.  But no probe has been there to do the study.\n\nThere is still a lot of debate regarding the Mars meteorites and whether they actually contain microbes.  Firstly, they may not be fossilised microbes at all, and secondly you have to show clearly that the meteorites have not been infected by Earth microbes. \n\nSo, nobody to date can say with any certaintly that life exists anywhere else but on Earth.\n\nFood for thought.
567744
Still no life is mars,\nLet mars be the beautiful. if life comes there also then it will be earth.
361750
There's no (liquid) water on Mars, and it looks round... so I'd assume the answer would be yes.
416604
possible but its more on the no side, conditions not right for life, even for microorganisms that can take extreme temperatures and harsh environment...best of all...no water, its all ice caps!
1143471
In my astronomy 310 class we discussed missions to Mars, and my professor explained that it COULD be done in a couple years - if there was public interest in it. Since there isn't, and since probes to Mars have been relatively unexciting other than telling us that it used to have water on it before it all evaporated, not many people are too interested in going to a super-hot, rusty, dead planet.
1011457
Exactly... nobody knows if theres life on other planets and its actually quite ignorant for people to believe that we are so superior that we are the only life on the universe.\n\nLife requires certain things to occur in order if its going to happen.  I can go on about this for hours... first things first... life in its simpliest for are anything that are self replicating.  It requires a perfect solvent for biological reactions.  Water is great since the properties of water surpass all others.  this is why you here NASA is trying to search for traces of water on mars... because with water and the right conditions, anything could happen.\n\nCurrently, theres only a limited number of known planets besides the ones in our solar system...  other planets outside our solar systems are hard to detect since they do not emit light of any source so they can no be seen.  The other planets are discovered by the wobble effects of the stars (look it up).  We do not know how many planets per star nor the types of planets they are (more than likely with this method, they have to be very massive like jupiter).
1073300
Okay, we are finding and discovering new forms of life all the time with new technology.  There are new marine animals found with the deeper we are able to explore.  Animals, bacterias, all forms of life are mutating and popping up all over the world.  On mars, they've discovered water on the planet and plant life under the surface of this water.  \nOkay, so it's not Star Trek yet.  We haven't communicated with alien beings...that we know of.  But that's not specifically what you asked now, is it?
205075
I doubt that there is life there or elsewhere in the universe. Yes there is ice in outer space and probably on portions of planets which means there probably was water out there at one time. However there are too many variables missing for there to be life as we know it. Believing that there are physical life forms other than as we have here on Earth is just speculation. The more space is explored, the more we know that Earth is uniquely made. If you get a chance see the dvd, "The Privileged Planet".
883887
Mars is smaller so it has a significantly smaller atmosphere.\nEarth has liquid water.\nMars is assumed to currently have no living organisms.\nMars has 2 moons.
931141
Yes, it was the Mars Polar Lander. It crashed on landing and was lost.
123187
Humans will probably live on Mars at some point, though it would probably be only temporary.  Now let's look at the problems.\nThe biggest problem would be making Mars a suitable environment for human life.  Terraforming the planet to give it a similar atmosphere as Earth would take thousands of years, if not longer.  The other option would be to build colonies.  And even then there's the question of what to do about gravity.  Because the gravity on Mars is less than that of Earth humans would have a difficult time maintaining muscle mass and bone density.  So, some sort of solution would need to be found.\nNext, let's face it, Mars is terribly far away and has little to offer, except maybe some frozen water.  And being so far away from Earth would probably be very problematic.  It is much more likely that in the future, if humans are to live in space, they'll live in self-sustained space colonies orbiting the Earth.
541536
Wasn't that the Mars landing?  Looking for life out there.
1164724
Well... There is some interesting surface facts than can be proof of water under the ice. \n\nAnd chemo-Genesis (the "evolution" of life from it's raw chemicals) and chemo-synthesis (life based on chemical energy) are know proven facts. So....\n\nIf there is water on Europa, we know the planet is geological active, so if there are "black smokers" and fissures of that sort on the ocean floor, and if they produced enough energy for the raw chemicals of life to form amino acids, then yes there is life on Europa. \n\nDepending on how long ago this happened would determine
507280
Probably not life as we understand it.  Life as we understand it requires water and some amount of heat.\n\nPluto is really cold.  In the winter, it's atmosphere freezes and falls to the ground as ammonia snow.  The surface temperature in the winter is several hundred degrees below zero, very close to absolute zero.  This is not an environment that supports life as we understand it.  Life is persistent, and can exist in cold places (there is stuff growing on the underside of the ice shelf off Antarctica, in ocean water so cold it would freeze but for the salt content), but that's a little cold.\n\nHowever, amino acid chains, which are one step down from DNA, and not exactly life but pretty close, have been found floating in star clusters.  So maybe there is something on Pluto.  \n\nHowever, if it exists, it is not intelligent life.  We could not communicate with it.  But it would be interesting to study.