A new space rover set to visit Mars by 2020 will search for signs of ancient of alien life, and pave the way for astronauts to visit the red planet.
The rover will collect samples which could possibly be brought back to Earth, and test technology in hopes of fulfilling President Obama's plans to get man on Mars by the 2030s, NASA reported.
"Crafting the science and exploration goals is a crucial milestone in preparing for our next major Mars mission," John Grunsfeld, said. NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "The objectives determined by NASA with the input from this team will become the basis later this year for soliciting proposals to provide instruments to be part of the science payload on this exciting step in Mars exploration.
The exploration would expand on the discoveries made by Curiosity and other past Martian missions, such as evidence there was once water on Mars and conditions hospitable to microbial life.
A recent report showed how the rover would use tools for "visual, mineralogical and chemical analysis" of the environment.
"The Mars 2020 mission concept does not presume that life ever existed on Mars," Jack Mustard, chairman of the Science Definition Team and a professor at the Geological Sciences at Brown University in Providence, R.I. said.
"However, given the recent Curiosity findings, past Martian life seems possible, and we should begin the difficult endeavor of seeking the signs of life. No matter what we learn, we would make significant progress in understanding the circumstances of early life existing on Earth and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life," he said.
NASA hopes to have the rover collect and bag at least 31 samples of rock cores and samples for a later mission to carry back to Earth.
"The Mars 2020 mission will provide a unique capability to address the major questions of habitability and life in the solar system," Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington said. "This mission represents a major step towards creating high-value sampling and interrogation methods, as part of a broader strategy for sample returns by planetary missions."
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