The Unexplained Mysteries of Mars

"Man on Mars"

Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and robotic and human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system. It's formation and evolution are comparable to Earth, helping us learn more about our planet's history and future. According to NASA, Mars had conditions suitable for life in its past. Future exploration could uncover evidence of life, answering one of the fundamental mysteries of the cosmos: Does life exist beyond Earth?

The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940's as a part of broader exploration of mars. Several missions have been sent to Mars by NASA, to unclothe the enigma of human life on Mars. NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s.

However, there are certain mysteries related to the planet, which need proper explanations from the scientists. Some of them are described in the passage below.

THE TWO FACES OF MARS

Scientists have had this puzzling phenomenon wrapped around their heads for decades now. Thirty years ago, when the Viking aircraft was sent into orbit around Mars, it sent back first-ever closeup images of the Martian surface. To everyone's surprise, it showed how different the northern and southern hemispheres were from each other. The planet's northern hemisphere is smooth and low and is supposed to be among the flattest and smoothest places in the solar system. On the other hand, the southern part of the hemisphere is rough, heavily cratered and higher in elevation than its counterpart.

Theories were floating around that the processes within the planet's surface could have caused the different crusts. Some recent discoveries suggest that the huge difference seen between the northern and southern halves of the red planet was caused by a giant space rock smashing onto Mars a long time ago.

THE METHANE MYSTERY OF MARS

Over the last few years, traces of Methane have been detected on Mars. It was first discovered in the Martian atmosphere by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft back in 2003. This could either be the result of biological activity or geological processes within the planet itself. The most recent findings have been from the NASA's Curiosity Rover that suggests the low levels of Methane increase ten times over months. By the looks of it, the source of Methane on Mars might be a mystery for a while as the exact location of it is untraceable.

DOES WATER FLOW ON MARS ?

Large amount of evidence collected in the past suggests that liquid water once ran on the surface of Mars. Although, it still remains an open question as to whether or not it occasionally flows on the surface of Mars now. On September 27, 2012, NASA scientists announced that the Curiosity rover found direct evidence for an ancient stream bed in Gale Crater, suggesting an ancient "vigorous flow" of water on the surface of Mars.

Today, the Martian atmosphere is extremely cold and thin, which means that liquid water would either freeze or absorb into the soil. This raises a question of how there was ever a presence of liquid water on the planet's surface. There is a possibility that water bodies could be locked in liquid reservoirs or underground as ice.

IS THERE ANY LIFE ON MARS ?

Water is the main ingredient to sustain life anywhere, There have been signs of its presence on Mars that have kept hopes alive for finding any signs of life on the planet. NASA's Viking 1 was the first of its two spacecrafts that were sent to Mars as a part of NASA's Viking program, landing on July 20, 1976. Viking represented the first and so for the only attempt to search for life on the planet, and its findings are being debated upon till the present day.

However, the Martian atmosphere is incredibly hostile as it has unpredictable temperature changes and very little protection against ultraviolet radiations from the Sun. NASA has an upcoming mission currently named the 2020 Mars rover that will look for traces of organic life or fossils that could have existed near the surface.

CAN HUMANS LIVE ON MARS ?

To figure if life really exists on Mars, humans have to take a trip and find out. It has been a never-ending mission to send human beings onto the red planet. NASA's plan in 1969 was to have a human onboard the Mars mission in 1981. But unfortunately, there were significant challenges like lack of oxygen, water and food. If humans are ever to survive on Mars, they will have to live independently of Earth. This would mean leaving off the natural resources available on Mars. Any livable habitats will most likely be constructed underground to protect from cosmic radiations. food sources will also be a challenge as the soil on the surface is sterile and full of toxic compounds known as perchlorates.

This is one mystery the whole world wants to be solved as all will eagerly be waiting for the next expedition. As of 2022, only robotic landers and rovers have been on Mars. The farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon.