Could we be martians?
Cap Verde Echus Chasma Candor Chasma Vastitas Borealis
Since 2004, two space rovers have travelled the surface of Mars, long exceeding their planned expiration date, and have made stunnning disoveries and shot marvellous pictures. http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html Some of the best are from the rim of the Victoria crater, as seen here, where the rocky outcrop "Cap Verde" makes it strikingly similar to structures encountered at Earth. (The rover is superimposed). Other pictures included here are from the European Mars Express. http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html It shows Mars as a real place, and a living planet, too, with lavines, erosion and impacts every day. Just below the rust-red surface is ice, probably water ice. This holds the key to long term survival on the planet for future missions, and may harbor organisms or remnants from a past when Mars was warmer and wetter. Why is this important? Because, if organisms of their remains are found there, we will know if this resembles organisms on Earth (carbon-based, nucleotide-self-replicating systems) or something different. If the latter is true, life arose independently in two places in the habitable zone of our solar system, making life elsewhere (almost everywhere) in the universe likely.The other possibility, similar organism-systems, will imply that we have the same origin, and that we are, in fact, martians ourself. Answering these questions is of paramount importance for the understanding of who we are and ulitmatley, if we are unique and alone in the freezing darkness of space.
In any case, we know there's life in the Universe, and it's right here, is wonderful and we have a responsibility to protect it, whether we are Earthlings or Martians.
