For as far back as those interested can remember, NASA has been going on mission after mission to understand the red planet known as Mars. In the recent data set taken from the one-ton rover Curiosity, some discoveries indicate that there could have been life on Mars — or that humans on Earth are actually Martians.
NASA's Curiosity landed on the red planet almost four years ago and has long since dedicated itself to the mission of finding out more about Mars. So far, all that has been seen of the planet has been through Curiosity's lenses and this time is no different.
In an interview with CBS News, chief engineer of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Rob Manning shared that the data collected from Curiosity looks like Mars could have supported life at one point. The geography and atmosphere of the planet were very much similar to that of Earth's, only differing as they aged where the latter was able to foster life and the former dried up. Asked if there is evidence of any form of life that could have resided in Mars' waters, Manning explains the existence of microbial life.
"Microbial single-cell organisms. But if you would look for it today alive, it wouldn't be on the surface. You have to go underground just like we have life on this planet, huge amounts of life, living underground on this planet," Manning explained.
Manning further describes what has so far been known about the red planet: that there were Earth rocks found on it that could have very well carried life onto Mars. So far, it's still a running theory that the life on the Earth rocks was able to survive the trip of 30 million miles. But Manning says that Mars could have been habitable before the Earth was and that life established on the red planet survived a trip back to Earth and that's where all humans come from.
NASA has been dedicated to understanding Mars for years and years now. With the relentless rovers and rockets that they send through space, the mysteries about the red planet will be answered hopefully sooner rather than later.
