NASA's next Mars mission: Life hunt takes center stage
NASA's big Mars mission in the mid-2030s is all about one thing: searching for signs of life.
A new report says this will be the top priority, along with figuring out if Mars could ever support humans and understanding pre-life chemical processes.
What else is on the checklist?
The mission isn't just about life—scientists also want to map Mars's surface, track water and carbon dioxide cycles, and study dust storms.
There's even interest in how Martian conditions might affect DNA, fertility, and future settlements.
How will they pull it off?
Plans include sending astronauts to a zone rich in ice for up to 300 sols (about 307 Earth days), drilling deep into the surface, setting up labs right on Mars, and making sure Earth microbes don't tag along.
NASA also wants astronauts, robots, and AI working together as a team—think of it as space exploration with some serious squad goals.