Is there life on Mars?
It’s an age-old question and a David Bowie song. The red planet has captured our collective imagination for aeons and it has been featured over and over in popular culture.

It has been an exciting week as the Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Images of the barren landscape were beamed back to earth and Pauline Hwang said the NASA team were just ‘awestruck’ and ‘on cloud nine’ when they head that touchdown was confirmed. There were elbow bumps and high fives through the plexiglass covid screens as they celebrated ‘ the beginning of a new era’ in Space exploration.

Apparently scientists are pretty certain that there is no life on Mars now but they are interested in whether there was ancient life on the planet 3 billion years ago. Percy, the nickname given to 'the most sophisticated robotic geologist ever created’ will collect samples and hopefully bring them back to earth in 2031.

The rover landed in a crater that is believed to be an ancient river delta and might hold fossils of past microbial life. There are also microphones to record sound and a helicopter that will act as a scout. Scientists say that this is a very profound first step as it may give us more of an ‘understanding of our place in the universe' and be 'a stepping stone to human exploration on Mars’.

Is there life on Mars?
It’s anage-oldquestion and a David Bowie song. The red planet hascaptured our collective imaginationfor aeonsand it has been featuredover and overinpopular culture.

It has been an exciting week as the Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Images of thebarrenlandscape werebeamed backto earth and Pauline Hwang said the NASA team were just‘awestruck’and‘on cloud nine’ when they heard thattouchdownwas confirmed. There wereelbow-bumbsandhigh fivesthrough the plexiglass covid screens as they celebrated ‘ the beginning of a newera'in Space exploration.

Apparently scientists are pretty certain that there is no life on Mars now but they are interested in whether there was ancient life on the planet 3 billionyears ago. Percy, thenicknamegiven to 'the most sophisticated roboticgeologistever created’ will collect samplesand hopefully bring them back to earth in 2031.

The rover landed in acraterthat is believed to be an ancient river deltaand might holdfossilsof pastmicrobiallife. There are also microphones to record sound and a helicopter that will act as ascoutScientists say that this is a very profoundfirst step as it may give us more of an ‘understanding of our place in the universe' and be'a stepping stoneto human exploration on Mars’.