The most difficult challenge of studying Mars and its extreme hyper arid climate is the fact that it lies approximately 56.4 million kilometres away. Earths hospitable environment and the presence of liquid water are the most notable differences yet most intriguing factors when comparing the planets and their past.
We know that well over 3.9 billion years ago, Mars supported liquid water on its surface and could have harboured primitive microbial-like life. Much of the Martian history is expressed in water related landscapes, indicating that despite the current hyper arid conditions, during some periods Mars was more similar to Earth than any other known planet in the outer space, and in fact, remains so to date. But why did the water disappear? Could microbial life be present on the Martian surface today? The Qaidam Basin, a remote area in northern Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most similar places on Earth to Mars and can give us insight in the quest to answer all these questions. Several expeditions to the Qaidam Basin allowed us to unfold clues to study the Martian environment. If we are ever to travel to Mars, the knowledge of climatic conditions and the availability of water will play a critical role in the planning of such manned missions to the Red Planet.
We detected numerous geological features similar to Mars, but most importantly we analysed subsurface microbial organisms in the Qaidam Basin. The study of such habitats is of extreme importance as they provide critical clues for understanding the living strategies in the extreme hyper arid environment. They are therefore, one of the most crucial developments in the search of extraterrestrial life on Mars. We now believe that Mars is the most likely target for life outside the Earth. The question as to whether life on Mars is related to life on Earth is now very confusing because we know from Martian meteorites that have landed on Earth that rocks can travel between the two planets. One of the exciting questions is that if we find life on Mars (and I really expect that we will!), is that a second genesis of life? Did life start here on Earth and was transported there or did it start there and was transported here? This is a fascinating mystery that we are going to unfold in the next century and we expect many more Mars missions to answer these questions. Future missions are being planned at the moment to look for evidence of life, with onboard instruments in order to chemically, visually and mineralogically analyze rocks right down to the microscopic level. The next decades are going to see a lot of action in space exploration, with the hope that we will keep pushing the limits of our human ability.
It is understood that the exact Martian conditions cannot be recreated here on Earth, those are uniquely Martian. However, considering the scale and vastness of our Solar System, Mars is almost formed to be our future home. Whether or not Mars has the right conditions and environments for habitability today, the chances are that probably one day will have them. Whether humankind should choose to live there or not is uncertain, but what is certain is that if we choose to live beyond Earth, Mars is surely the place. Not even the moon or asteroids can compete with the fact that Mars is a world with water, colder than Earth, but with water, and that is what makes Mars so special.
