Life in the solar system has been explored and debated over centuries, with Mars being the greatest subject of interest. This is due to the existence of water ice on its surface, and water vapour in its atmosphere. The existence of water is pivotal in the exploration of Mars, as it may hold vital information regarding the history of the planet.
Scientists have implemented the ideology to ‘follow the water’, as the existence of water allows for life to grow, and more importantly, exist. This is reiterated in Rothschild and Mancinelli’s “observation that all terrestrial life requires liquid water during some phase of its life cycle (cited in Jones and Lineweaver 2010, p.349). NASA followed this observation, with Ed Weiler, NASA’s then Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate (NASA 2010), stating, “if you want to look for life, either fossilized life or existing life, you have to follow the water" (Harwood 1999). This ideology is especially prevalent in the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission where scientists are aiming to discover water on Mars in order to deduce whether …show more content…
With full use of the rover’s tools, it “drilled into a high volcanic rock with its rock abrasion tool (RAT)…the rover then examined the area closely with its microscopic imager”. It was then discovered that the fractures in the rock were filled with minerals, which proved to be a sign of water deposits as geologists were able to recognise similarities to rock formations on Earth (Alexander 2004). In 2007, the Spirit rover made another incredible discovery, an ancient hydrothermal system. A hydrothermal system is a system with “fluid, heat, and permeability in a naturally occurring geological formation” (Open Energy Information 2014). This discovery directly correlates to the water on Mars, “indicating that Mars was once more Earth-like and could have potentially supported life” (Malykhina
Scientists have implemented the ideology to ‘follow the water’, as the existence of water allows for life to grow, and more importantly, exist. This is reiterated in Rothschild and Mancinelli’s “observation that all terrestrial life requires liquid water during some phase of its life cycle (cited in Jones and Lineweaver 2010, p.349). NASA followed this observation, with Ed Weiler, NASA’s then Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate (NASA 2010), stating, “if you want to look for life, either fossilized life or existing life, you have to follow the water" (Harwood 1999). This ideology is especially prevalent in the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission where scientists are aiming to discover water on Mars in order to deduce whether …show more content…
With full use of the rover’s tools, it “drilled into a high volcanic rock with its rock abrasion tool (RAT)…the rover then examined the area closely with its microscopic imager”. It was then discovered that the fractures in the rock were filled with minerals, which proved to be a sign of water deposits as geologists were able to recognise similarities to rock formations on Earth (Alexander 2004). In 2007, the Spirit rover made another incredible discovery, an ancient hydrothermal system. A hydrothermal system is a system with “fluid, heat, and permeability in a naturally occurring geological formation” (Open Energy Information 2014). This discovery directly correlates to the water on Mars, “indicating that Mars was once more Earth-like and could have potentially supported life” (Malykhina