Mars, and the living isn't so easy

[Karen Brattain]

Here I go again: posting news that has not much to do with publishing, except in my little corner of the world. This is the first of two astrobiological posts I’m going to share this week.

"Mars Rovers Sharpen Questions About Livable Conditions"

Though I’m not sure what it means to “sharpen questions,” this news from NASA is quite interesting. So much astrobiological research is focused on Mars and on the question of whether martian water could have supported life. Given these findings from Mars Rover Opportunity, life’s chances don’t look too good.

I appreciated this article for its mention of current and future robotic missions to Mars. Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity continue to perform and exceed mission expectations. They are like interplanetary Energizer bunnies. Next, the Phoenix mission lands on the martian northern arctic May 25, 2008. (Mark your calendars!) Future missions include the Mars Science Laboratory and the Astrobiology Field Laboratory. The August issue of Astrobiology includes “A Concept for NASA’s Mars 2016 Astrobiology Field Laboratory,” a paper which can be downloaded for free.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute