Science & Cocktails #31 | Martian Chronicles

Was there water on Mars? Was there life in the past of Mars? Is there life today on Mars? Why do we need to return samples back from Mars? How do we bring martian samples back to Earth?

While Mars is today an arid planet, we have evidence it was very different in the past with liquid water at its surface. As such came the question of a possible life on Mars, likely in the past, but even possibly at the present time in the subsurface. In order to better understand the geological past of Mars and its potential habitability, numerous space missions are now orbiting around the planet but also driving on the martian surface. However, detecting ancient or even present life is a very complicated task that necessitates very complex instrumentation. Even though the current rovers are equipped with state-of-the art instruments, they cannot provide the full range of analyzes needed to investigate the question of life on Mars. Hence came the idea that if we cannot go on Mars, Mars can come to us, and the “Mars Sample Return” mission was born. This very ambitious mission is now in its first stage with the rover Perseverance drilling rocks at the surface of Mars. Later, those samples will be brought back to Earth to hopefully answer the question: is there life on Mars?