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Astrobiology of Mars, Europa, Titan and Enceladus - Most Likely Places for Alien Life
The primary astrobiology science goal in connection with the solar system bodies is to conduct variety of scientific investigations for better understanding of their biological potential. Looking beyond Earth, Mars, and more recently the icy moons of the Jovian and Saturnian systems, namely Europa, Titan and Enceladus, where demonstrably habitable environments are most likely to be found, have become increasingly attractive targets for astrobiology. Furthermore, they may have biochemistry similar to that of life on Earth. Because of its many Earth-like features, Mars remains the most intriguing of the planets and has become the preeminent target of astrobiological interest. While Mars today is a cold and dry planet, conditions in the past are thought to have been more habitable and included environments such as riverbeds, lakes and even a presence of a former ocean on the northern hemisphere. Even today, water activity is still present in some places on the surface of Mars. Although deemed unlikely, life may yet exist today on Mars in some protected subsurface environments, shielded from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation, reactive chemical oxidants and desiccation. br/br/However, Mars is not the only promising candidate to find life in our solar system. With their subsurface liquid water oceans under their icy surface combined with highly anticipated hydrothermal activities, unavoidable on an icy body like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus where water is in contact ...
