The Martian Chronicle
Monday, 6 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
NASA has announced that its latest mission to Mars, the Curiosity Lander, successfully touched down early today. This mission - the most ambitious to date - aims to comprehensively search for evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet, seeking to locate the basic building blocks necessary to enable microbial life to evolve. The Lander will explore Gale Crater plus a nearby three-mile-high mountain that previous missions have indicated consists of sediments rising from the crater's floor.
The search for life on Mars has been an inspiration for centuries. In the 18th century astronomer William Herschel believed that there was active life on the planet, with a viable atmosphere that included clouds. This continued throughout the 19th century, with Richard A. Proctor 'mapping' seas, islands, and inlets, and then Giovanni Schiaparelli mapping what were to become known as the 'canals' on Mars, as described by Percival Lowell.
Life and the Waters of Mars
The search for life on Mars has been an inspiration for centuries. In the 18th century astronomer William Herschel believed that there was active life on the planet, with a viable atmosphere that included clouds. This continued throughout the 19th century, with Richard A. Proctor 'mapping' seas, islands, and inlets, and then Giovanni Schiaparelli mapping what were to become known as the 'canals' on Mars, as described by Percival Lowell.
The 'Ice' Warriors
The surface of Mars, as seen in The Waters of Mars