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Aerial Drone To Hunt For Life On Mars

Posted by Soulskill on from the care-for-some-martian-venison dept.

astroengine writes "What if the Martian terrain is too rugged for a rover to traverse? How do we study surface features that are too small for an orbiter to resolve? If selected by NASA, the Aerial Regional-Scale Environment Surveyor (ARES) could soar high above the Martian landscape, getting a unique birds-eye view of the Red Planet. Its primary mission is to sniff out potential microbial-life-generating gases like methane, but it would also be an ideal reconnaissance vehicle to find future landing sites for a manned expedition. Prototypes of the rocket-powered drone have been successfully flown here on Earth, so will we see ARES on Mars any time soon?"

2 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Re:first, nuclear waste, now, exhaust gases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Gains? You're on crack. I think you fundamentally just don't understand the reality of space and our technology.

    Oh, and it's "sighted", dumbass.

  2. Re:the Mars Vault was the toughest yet... by c6gunner · · Score: 0, Troll

    Yeah, a new study just came out which shows that long-term iPhone usage causes genital warts and severe rectal bleeding, so the fanboys are trying to bury the news.

    Wassat? You hadn't heard about the study? SEE, they're SUCCEEDING!