Is there alien life on Mars? This tired, old question has been thrown around every scientific circle one can imagine and it has certainly come a long way. It started out as a mere idea. Perhaps an inspiration for scientists to haplessly ponder upon or the idea for some Sci-Fi novel. Now, that question is too close to being answered. NASA has come so far and now, they are just a few strategic steps away to giving us the news we all want to hear.
NASA KNOWS THAT LIFE ONCE EXISTED ON MARS
What NASA does know is that life on Mars certainly existed in the past. If it was “alien” life, they do not know, but they do know that life may even be possible today. If you remember 2013, just after the Curiosity rover landed, reports of a habitable environment was reported. Craters, where large amounts of surface water existed billions of years ago, were found. Because of this, scientists are positive full lakes and flowing streams existed here for long periods of time. So does that mean alien life existed on Mars or not? Well, NASA says that’s complicated.
WHAT IS ALIEN LIFE?
The simplistic description of life would be similar to Aristotle’s definition. He believed that living things are those that consume, excrete waste and reproduce sexually. For a long time, that definition was sufficient but we now understand it is far more complex than that. When people expect alien life, they want to see those big headed beings we have from the movies. NASA knows that life on Mars will hardly be like that. What’s more likely to be found on Mars is some type of single cell organism. Many microbes out there have proven to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth. It wouldn’t be that farfetched to believe something like that could make it on some other planet.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE RED PLANET?
People expect the world will erupt in hysteria if we find alien life on the red planet. Those people have watched far too many action movies. What’s more realistic is that NASA will confirm some kind of life in the coming years and send a manned mission up to do further tests and research. We are far way from picking up our society and moving it a few houses down to colonize. All in all, it will help us decipher the history of our solar system, which in itself, is a pathway to understanding the history of the universe. Knowledge is the driving force, and we are obtaining more of it every day.
