Are we alone in the universe? Maybe not, according to data uncovered by Mars researchers. High-resolution photographs taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft over the past five years reveal evidence of water on Mars, and many scientists believe where there's water, there's life.

The possibility of life on Mars has intrigued astronomers, geologists, and enthusiasts for centuries, but technology caught up with imagination and speculation only in recent decades. The first images of the Red Planet returned to Earth as part of the Mariner spacecraft mission in 1964. These photographs largely dispelled fantasies of advanced Martian cultures made popular by science fiction, but subsequent missions hinted that life on Mars -- at least in some form --was a reality.

John Mustard, associate professor of geological sciences at Brown University, insists that comparing Mars to Earth will help unlock Martian mysteries. "Everyone is interested in water, right? Follow the water, because it seems to be affiliated with life," at least on Earth, he says.

Mustard's latest NASA-funded Mars research (published July in the journal Nature) included findings on relatively young frozen ground water advances during the last Martian ice age. The ground ice -- originally thought by Mustard to be chemical in nature -- points to a continually changing climate, one of his most exciting discoveries to date.

A bevy of expensive yet unsuccessful NASA projects to Mars have fueled claims that funding -- close to $400 million a year -- should be used elsewhere. In 1998 and 1999, two spacecraft failed in their missions, one because of a mix-up of measuring units. Mustard called the event "extremely embarrassing" for the space agency, although it did spur a massive revamping of the exploration program. Future missions to Mars will be further apart, but better staffed and funded.

For Mustard, concerns of cost and difficulty are dwarfed by the possibilities. Discovering life on Mars "has the potential to transform our perceptions of ourselves," he says, adding, however, that until extraordinary evidence emerges, extraordinary claims of life hold little water.

Issue Date: January 4 - 10, 2002