The Mars spacecraft may have to dig deeper than expected to find traces of life
Mars explorers may have to dig deeper for signs of ancient life. New research shows that certain protein-building amino acids that could be evidence of ancient life on Earth Mars more susceptible to radiation than scientists thought, meaning any amino acids left behind by life forms might only survive if they were buried deep beneath the planet’s surface. “Our results show that amino acids are destroyed by cosmic rays in Martian surface rock and regolith at a much faster rate than previously thought,” Alexander Pavlov, a space scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. statement . “Current Mars rover missions are drilling to about two inches (about five centimeters). At that depth, it would take only 20 million years to completely destroy the amino acids.” Related: Possible sign of Martian life? Curiosity rover finds ‘tantalizing’ Red Planet organics While 20 million years may seem lik...