Key find Challenges Life on Mars Theory

             For centuries people have speculated about the possibility of life on Mars due to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Mars is of particular interest for the study of the origins of life, because of its similarity to the early Earth. This is especially so as Mars has a cold climate and lacks plate tectonics or continental drift, and has remained almost unchanged since the end of the Hesperian period. Over the past decade, scientists using Mars satellites and telescopes on Earth have reported plumes of methane in the Martian atmosphere.

                 Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity has failed to find a key chemical on the Red Planet challenging the theory of life on Mars. Mars' polar ice caps were observed as early as the mid 17th century and they were first proven to grow and shrink alternately in the summer and winter of each hemisphere, by William Herschel in the later part of the 18th century. According to data collected by the robot, the Martian environment lacks methane.This comes as a surprise to researchers as previous information had indicated positive detections. Crucially, this reduces the possibility that life ever survived over there. On Earth, the vast majority of Methane in the atmosphere is caused by organic life. The spacecraft is currently undergoing vibration and acoustic tests before being shipped to the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre. It will travel 10 months in space before reaching the Red Planet, where it is scheduled to land in September 2014. The satellite will carry compact scientific experimental gear to study the Martian surface.

                India's mission to Mars, estimated to cost at least 80 million dollars, has drawn mixed reactions. While India defends it as an honorable scientific pursuit, critics denounce it as a mere showpiece and question a political decision to spend this amount on space exploration in a country where millions of people still lack clean drinking water and suffer from malnourishment. The European and Russian space agencies are working together on the new ExoMars mission for 2016, it will added an orbiter to search for evidence of methane and other atmospheric gases that could signify active biological or geological processes.