In 1976, two Viking landers landed on Mars with equipment designed specifically to try to detect life. The equipment produced readings that indicated something was going on. It was designed in effect to see if the life forms were digesting nutrients aboard the craft.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the scientific community was undecided on what they actually detected. Some saying it might be signs of microorganisms, others saying it might be an unknown chemical reaction with the soil. Soil that is bombarded with ultra violet radiation as there is no known protective Ozone layer.<br /><br />No further mars missions resulted.<br /><br />Fast forward to 1996. A meteorite found in the Allan Hills region of Antarctica was deposited by researchers in a lab in 1984. In 1996, they got around to looking at the rock and found what appeared to be fossilized remains of microbes. Then comes a new debate resulting in indecision once again. And thats appropriate. If we are to announce life on another world, we want to be sure of it.<br /><br />That will probably take a human mission.<br /><br />The current mars missions are not designed specifically to seek out life. That is, the Mars Exploration Rovers or MERs, better known as Spirit and Opportunity. They have been driving around on mars for something like three years now, doing other scientific investigation. The other mars mission currently underway is an orbiter that takes very high resolution images of mars from hundreds of miles above. There is a growing body of evidence for water having once flowed on mars and there may even be places just beneath the surface where water can be in an icy state. Recent images appear to show evidence of water flow from inside crater walls.<br /><br />Currently, we cannot yet say for certain there is life on mars. If we eventually find that there is, it will most likely be microbiological in nature.<br /><br />Our other ET effort, known as SETI, and ongoing since 1960. Has so far produced no evidence of ETs out t <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>