Alien-Hunting Camera Headed to Mars in Hopes of Finding Life

Article by Tamar Lapin                    August 19, 2019                       (nypost.com)

• The European Space Agency’s ‘ExoMars’ vehicle is set to land on March 19, 2021, and will begin scouring the Martian surface for signs of extraterrestrials with a “Pan-Cam” designed by researchers at University College London. The Pan-Cam is being installed on the rover by Airbus in Hertfordshire, England, and will be tested in Toulouse, France.

• Strapped to the top of the British-built rover, the “Pan-Cam” system will use special filters to scan the planet’s surface for minerals that would prove there was once liquid capable of sustaining Martian organisms. If a watery location is discovered, the machine will travel to the spot and drill six-and-a-half feet down to take samples. Bits of the Martian rocks will then be fed through a gap in the rover to a mobile lab, where they’ll be crushed up and tested for organic matter.

• Pan-Cam project manager Mary Carter says, “Mars was once covered in water just like the Earth… at the same time life was developing on Earth. Potentially, life could have been developing on Mars.”

Is there life on Mars, and will it like being photographed?

A British-built rover is set to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, with the help of an alien-hunting camera, the UK Telegraph reported Monday.

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars vehicle is set to land on March 19, 2021, and will begin scouring the Martian surface for signs of extraterrestrials about 10 days later — with a “Pan-Cam,” designed by researchers at University College London.

Strapped to the top of the rover, the “Pan-Cam” system will use special filters to scan the planet’s surface for minerals that would prove there was once liquid capable of sustaining organisms on Mars.

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