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Will Dr ill i n g Fi n d Ex t a nt Li fe o n M ar s ?
? ? BY NICOLE WILLETT, THE MARS SOCIETY? ?????????????????????????????????
I attended the online NASA/JPL Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting that was held
on July 23, 2013. The meeting’s purpose was to discuss the Mars 2020 rover and many other Mars exploration issues. Many people wonder why NASA keeps sending rovers to Mars without stating that they will
unequivocally search for extant life. The term extant means, still in existence. We know that MSL Curiosity
has the equipment to detect life and that Mars 2020 will have many of the same instruments. However, Jack
Mustard, Brown University professor, who presented at the MEPAG meeting, stated, “To date, the evidence
that we have from observations of Mars and Martian samples is that we don’t have the clear indication
that life is at such an abundance on the planet that we could go there with a simple experiment like Viking
As we
anxiously
await the
analysis
from Curiosity’s
second drill sample,
which was taken
on May 20, 2013,
we can discuss
the search for
present life on Mars
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014