A new report from the US National Academies says that the first humans to set foot on Mars should focus on searching for signs of life. NASA plans to send its first human-crewed mission in the 2030s, and the document makes it clear: Finding life on Mars should be a top scientific goal.
These missions are aimed at exploring areas with surface ice, signs of past water, or partially habitable environments. There is even talk of drilling deep enough to reach several kilometers, where pockets of liquid water may be preserved.
At the same time, studies on Mars must be conducted within the framework of planetary protection rules, so that microbes from Earth do not contaminate Mars and vice versa.
