It might seem obvious, but Mars is a planet that’s clearly inhospitable to life. Especially near the surface. Dartnell figures the first couple of metres of soil are probably bathed in so much radiation, that even the hardiest bacteria wouldn’t last long. But if you can get down below that, chances improve. The soil will shield life from harmful cosmic radiation, and there are likely deposits of water (in the form of ice) that can provide additional protection.
Unfortunately, none of the current spacecraft planned to visit Mars will be equipped with a way of drilling through metres of rock, ice and sand to get down to a potential layer of life. To make the job easier, the researchers are suggesting missions drill in regions of fresh ice, which can protect the bacteria underneath it.
Original Source: UCL News Release
In a new study, a team of astronomers come to the conclusion that Proxima b…
Using new simulation suite, a team of scientists were able to conduct the largest set…
The iconic Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico has been at the forefront of…
Star formation is a complex process. But in simple terms, a star forms due to…
As originally planned, Juno’s 37th close pass by Jupiter – called Perijove 37 – would…
In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! You should…
