Mars itself is - because it expand away from our ardor find the Sun - a cold desert earth. So far lacking any signs of life nor liquid water on the outside.

In 2002 the Mars Odyssey Orbiter discovered that large amounts of frozen, below the apparent, water (ice) might be imparted on Mars' North opposite. As water is a critical prerequisite for any life to survive, the Phoenix Mars Lander was dispatched to investigate. The Phoenix landed, carefully and as scheduled, on May 25th, 2008. Now it is in the practice of using its robot arm to scrape samples of Mars' soil and check these in its onboard lab for the poise of water and other substances as well as any signs of existing or bygone life.

What can we demand to find? Could there be any life on Mars?

In many customs, Mars - just like Earth - is a very privileged world. It is orbiting a steady burning star (our Sun) of the right magnitude and age to give a pretty continuous supply of light and boil. Mars - just like Earth - is also in a perfectly competent solar organism. Of the right age and, providing protection from comets and asteroids through the aura of much better planets (especially Jupiter) in its outer orbits. And Mars - just like Earth - is located at the probable only possible site in its galaxy (the Milky Way) that will grant enough edifice equipment but is not in a (too) pouring populated corner of solar systems. The great, gigantic majority of solar systems in our (and other) galaxies are located near the crux or on the spiral arms. These areas are overcrowded and then life destroying collisions (like on a hectic intersection of highways) occur very often. Only planets in solar systems in-between spiral arms (like our solar scheme) support even a fate to grant a 'nontoxic' environment for life to exist.

So, Mars is off to a talented leave and in a, much better post that any other world we know that might have an unplanned to be livable for life. Nevertheless that does not mean that it is precise for life (like Earth is).

For starters, it is too cold. Even the simplest organic life forms command typical temperatures above freezing and not exceeding the boiling show of water. Mars is then too cold with is common temperature below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

And life requires liquid water. Water - and the specter of at least another 26 vital basics - is a prerequisite to even believe the possibility of life. Therefore the engineers at NASA embattled the Mars polar territory not expecting to find current life but perhaps evidence of memoirs life during a time when Mars might have been earlier to the Sun and therefore having a more life-tempting temperature.

Still even the spirit of liquid water and all other necessary elements, like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and so on are not enough to make earth potentially habitable. Studying life on Earth we now understand and appreciate that organic life also requires other conditions to be 'just right', like rotation hustle, mass and gravity of the world, poise and composition of an atmosphere, magnetic province around the earth, volcanic activity, plate tectonics, axial angle, nature of the orbit, ozone levels and so on.

And if all these conditions at sometime in Mars' history might have all worked out, then that does not automatically imply that life also 'urban'. Having all the structure blocks of life donate does not 'automatically' size life. Just like the presence of all building supplies for a house on an estate not 'automatically' erects a gorgeous residence.

It is exciting to learn more about our universe and the complexity of life by using our most advanced scientific skills to analysis our neighboring globe. Let us just make loyal that we objectively elucidate the wisdom we have gained and will advance through the Phoenix Mars Lander and subsequent projects: our Earth is extraordinary uniquely positioned and tranquil to permit for life to exist.