Was there life on Mars? The question is still open

This red planet has always attracted people's attention. The difference of the planets from the stars found even the oldest Civilization of the world - Sumerians and Babylonians. However, the very term "planet" came to us from the ancient Greek language, where he literally denoted the body wandering through the night sky.

The planets were very significant components in the cultures of ancient civilizations. So, in Egypt, astrology was born and was very popular - the prediction of fate on the motion of heavenly bodies. In ancient Greece and Rome, the planets were identified with specific deities. Venus was associated with the goddess of love because of its whitish shade, so reminiscent of the color of tender girlish skin. The red color of Mars could not but cause allusions with destruction and fires. It was for this that he received the name of the god of war.

However, the planets were present not only in ancient cultures. They continue to figure in modern works of art. Of course, the ideas about them have changed. If the Greeks and Romans connected the planets with the divine essence, then in the New time, when it became obvious that they are the same celestial bodies as the Earth, they began to cast other bizarre fantasies. And among all the planets of our system, perhaps, it is Mars that is the most frequent visitor of cultural products. He is especially fond of the science fiction genre. The question of whether life was on Mars, often became a source of inspiration for science fiction writers and filmmakers. So, the famous "War of the Worlds" by Herbert Wells paints us with horrific Martians, destroying humanity. And in Edgar Burroughs, in his "Princess of Mars", these creatures appear to be strong and fair, very similar in appearance and at the same time completely different from the earthman who came to them.

And what does science say - was there life on Mars?

This issue was first raised by scientists in the middle of the 17th century when they discovered that the red planet has dimensions similar to the Earth, snow caps at the poles, a degree of inclination of the axis of rotation and a number of other similar parameters. Naturally, the question arose: was there life on Mars? Or, maybe, it exists now? However, observation in a telescope, no matter how perfect it may be, will not give an unambiguous answer.

The debate of scientists continued until the era of space flights. At the beginning of the 20th century, for example, the theory of the existence of blue vegetation on the planet was very popular, as indicated by lengthy observations and indirect evidence. In the 1960-70s, in the era of the space race of the two superpowers, many aircraft were sent to the planet . Unfortunately, not all of these so-called reconnaissance missions were successful. The first to safely sink to the surface of the red planet was the Soviet space vehicle, which was called "Mars-3" (the first two flights were unsuccessful), it happened in 1971. And in 1976, the American "Viking" reached the planet Mars. The search for life was not successful even then. And the channels and craters turned out to be completely dry, although according to the statements of American researchers, they could have been filled with water in the distant past. Moreover, the natural conditions that were discovered on the planet clearly showed that no life could survive and develop here. This greatly cooled the enthusiasm of researchers and scientists.

And only a couple of decades later, there was a renewed interest in the question of whether there was life on Mars. The United States launched the next device to the planet in 2008. And research probe "Phoenix" again revived the dead, it would seem, hopes. It was proved that in the atmosphere of the planet there is a lot of carbon dioxide. But on the Earth it is a product, allocated by plants. This fact again provoked heated debate about whether there was life on Mars. In addition, today still found evidence of the existence of water there! Phoenix and Curiosity - rovers of the last five-year plan were sent to the planet with the hope of discovering either a microscopic life that can hide deep in the ground, or to discover facts that could shed light on the past of the red planet.