Colonize Mars

The first Mars probe from China will probably be launched in the second part of 2009, with the help of a Russian rocket. The probe has a weight of 253 lbs (115 kg) and it’s expected to function for two years. The trip to Mars will take 10 months, during which it will make a 38 million km journey. At the end, it will go on orbit and monitor Mars.

Five robotic missions so far gathered data that supports the theory that billions of years ago it rained on Mars. Yes, a few weeks ago the Phoenix Mars Lander found ice on the Red Planet, but in addition to that, robotic missions have found plenty of evidence in the past of minerals that are associated with water.

By analyzing data sent by these missions and comparing the samples with those in the Atacama Desert (Chile) and the dry valley regions in Antarctica, they found that probably around 3 billion years ago, the big bodies of water from Mars evaporated or froze.

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According to the NASA scientists, the first analysis on the soil taken by the Mars Phoenix Lander indicates that it is capable of supporting life, as it is much more alkaline than they thought it would be.

According to the wet chemistry laboratory chief investigator, the nutrients found in the soil are sufficient to support life. He also said that this type of soil can even be found in backyards, and you could probably grow plants such as asparagus in it.

While they wouldn’t say that life existed in it, they did say that there isn’t anything toxic in it, and it could support life.

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