Hunt for Extraterrestrial Life Guides Next Wave of Space Exploration Missions

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - 15:01 in Astronomy & Space

Sample Return Mission Coming in hot! NASA/JPLA three-part Mars sample-return mission is among the proposed adventures for next-gen robotic explorers NASA's search for extraterrestrial life could result in missions such as a balloon or boat-like capsule on Titan, or even a complex three-part Mars mission to return a Martian sample to Earth. Until then, scientists have focused attention on both Earth and Mars regions which could hold organic materials or microfossils. Extraterrestrial life hunters gathered this week near Houston at what amounts to a biennial Woodstock for astrobiologists, and a NASA teleconference today gave a glimpse into the proceedings. Some of the best and the brightest shared their latest findings and discussed future missions to search for signs of life on Mars, Europa and other exotic solar system destinations. "One thing emerging in our work is that astrobiology and the search for life is really central to what we should be doing next...

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