I am starting to exhibit extraterrestrial enthusiasm of late. Well, it could be the next realm of existence, the earlier I orient myself, the better.

As Africans are busy fighting and killing each other in Kenya, South Africa, Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Uganda etc to secure soil on Planet Earth, NASA is busy planning for the next mankind habitation. The moon and Mars have become possible targets for the next human migration and resettlement in the unfortunate occurrence of an apocalypse on planet Earth.

NASA’s Phoenix Lander spacecraft safely landed in the North Polar Region of the Red Planet and immediately started sending images of the polar region that scientists expect to have traces of water which could indicate that at one time it supported life as we know it or could do so in the future. The Phoenix has been travelling to Mars for the last 10 Months.

In January 2004, two robotic geologists named Spirit and Opportunity landed on opposite sides of the red planet. With far greater mobility than the 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover, these robotic explorers have trekked for miles across the Martian surface, conducting field geology and making atmospheric observations. Carrying identical, sophisticated sets of science instruments, both rovers have found evidence of ancient Martian environments where intermittently wet and habitable conditions existed.

“Like the Viking Landers of 1976, Phoenix is designed to look for organic material and other signs that life has existed on Mars, or could exist on the planet. Unlike the two rovers (Opportunity & Spirit) that have been exploring the Martian surface for nearly five years, Phoenix is built to stay in one place and use its robotic arm to dig into the soil and ice. The vehicle is equipped with several miniature chemistry labs to analyze the material it digs up.

The Lander touched down further north on Mars than any previous Lander. NASA scientists think the frozen water on or near the surface may tell them whether the minerals and organic compounds needed for life as we know it exist, or have ever existed, on the planet.

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The Phoenix was targeted at the North Polar Region because that is where some form of water (in the form of ice) is most likely to be present, and scientists believe that a form of water is necessary for life. They are convinced that surface water flowed on Mars billions of years ago, a conclusion reached by studying geologic features of the Martian landscape. Today, conditions on Mars do not allow for liquid water, in large part because the atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as Earth's.

In 2002, however, the Mars Odyssey orbiter discovered that large amounts of water ice lay just beneath the surface in the permafrost that covers much of far northern Mars. Scientists say the region, which is notably flat and smooth, may have once been the bottom of a large ocean.
They are also intrigued that the surface shows polygonal patterns remarkably similar to some seen in Antarctica. Scientists speculate that they could be the result of cycles of freezing and thawing.

In addition to its sophisticated cameras, soil retrievers and mini-laboratories, Phoenix carried on its journey a mini-DVD created by the Planetary Society called "Visions of Mars." It holds a library of science fiction stories and art, as well as the names of more than 250,000 people. ”

Reference: Washington Post