From the very beginning of his existence, a rational person gravitated to the knowledge of the world and its secrets. And he wanted to get knowledge not only about those things with which he usually dealt and not only about those places where his life passed. He wanted to know much more.
Probably, from the very moment when the person made his first head lift to the sky, and his interest in what exists outside the scope of his direct activity originates. After all, turning his gaze upward, he saw a huge yellow sun, and the moon, and myriad of stars spread across the vast expanses of heaven, among which was a very unusual star with a bright orange, even fiery radiance - the planet Mars.
Over time, things began to interest man on a universal scale. Are there extraterrestrial intelligence, alien civilizations, other races of intelligent living beings? And today, one of the most important and burning issues has become the question of whether
there is life on Mars. Why there? In this short article, we will briefly review the information available on this subject.
The inhabitants of ancient Egypt and Babylon called it the Red Star. Pythagoras offered to give her the name Piraeus, which meant "fiery." The ancient Greeks called her Ares (Ares - the ancient Greek god of war). And since in Roman mythology, the god of war was Mars, in the end they began to call the planet. Although in Russia until the XVIII century the Greek names of the planets were in use, but because Mars was called Ares or Arris.
To date, many space
expeditions to Mars have been carried out (successful and not), which made it possible to learn a lot about it. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun (after Earth) and our closest cosmic neighbor (along with Venus). Distance from the Sun - 228 million km. And from the Earth - 55.76 million km (when the position of the Earth is exactly between Mars and the Sun) and 401 million km (when the position of the Sun is exactly between Mars and the Earth). Its diameter is 6670 km, which is almost half the
diameter of the Earth.The atmosphere is 75% carbon dioxide, and the remaining 25% is carbon dioxide mixed with water vapor. This makes life on Mars, to put it mildly, unlikely. But climatic conditions theoretically allow the possibility of existence on the surface of water in a liquid state. And water, as you know, is the source of life. The atmospheric pressure on the planet is 160 times lower than Earth. The air temperature during the day is about +15 ° C, and at night it drops to -80 ° C (at the poles to -143 ° C). The surface of the planet is cold, deserted and dry. And sandstorms blacken the sky for weeks and months.
Be that as it may, Mars is the only one of all the planets, most similar to Earth and the most suitable for life. More and more images of the Martian surface indicate that there were times on Mars when water played a significant role - formations were found that resemble river beds and places where there could be lakes and even seas.
Some scientists hypothesize that there was life on Mars, but then there was a severe environmental disaster (the fall of giant meteorites) or even war (nuclear bombings) that destroyed all life on the planet. Theoretically, huge craters on the surface of Mars, extending far into its depths, can serve as evidence
The Martian meteorites found in various corners of the Earth are undergoing serious research in our time. The first information about them dates back to 1984. And in 1996, a message was published about traces of the activity of biological organisms found on one of the meteorites. Methane was also found - a gas that cannot exist on its own in the atmosphere for a long time, which means it is released by something. Volcanoes of Mars, of course, can also be its source, but bacteria can also be.
The official data is also the fact that on the red planet made a lot of mysterious finds. For example, the face of the Martian Sphinx facing the sky, as well as various holes of the correct form and formation, which can be pyramids.
In addition, evidence that the American authorities have evidence that they found life on Mars can be that many of the pictures taken during the Martian expeditions were carefully hidden or even destroyed by order of “above”. And in conversations with representatives of the authorities and various government agencies, there is a clear insincerity and desire to conceal something.
But the greatest excitement is now observed not even around this, but around the expedition to Mars. Mars One plans to send people to Mars to prepare the soil for the future colonization of a new planet. The news is amazing, but not happy with the fact that it will be a one-way flight. Modern technology allows you to create an apparatus on which people can get to Mars and land on its surface. But they do not allow a launch from the planet to return back to Earth. There is an official statement that Mars One has already found sponsors and received the first money for the project.
Special details about the irrevocable expedition are still few. But it is known that 4 people will take part in it, and the selection of volunteers has already begun (despite the fact that the mission is irrevocable, their number is unthinkable and new ones continue to appear). The start of the expedition is scheduled for 2023. If this happens, then on the red planet people will land in 2027. They will spend their entire future lives in the Martian settlement, built in advance for them by robots, sent earlier.
In July 2015, it is already planned to complete the selection of applicants for the flight. There will be 24. The next 7 years, teams of 4 people will prepare for the mission.
At the same time, NASA plans to send the first interplanetary expedition even further Mars - to the asteroid belt. There is practically no information about this expedition at all. But it is known that the flight will last longer than the flight to Mars (more than four years). And members of the expedition will be able to return to Earth.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that no one can give an exact answer to the question of whether there is life on Mars. There are ongoing disputes. New data is appearing. New theories and hypotheses are introduced. But one thing is certain: Mars is a planet on which life is possible. Let's hope that further studies of this issue in the relatively near future will be able to give us a reliable answer. Who knows, maybe our closest space neighbors are Martians ?!