Nova

Is There Life On Mars?

More than four years after they landed on Mars, NASA's twin robot explorers, Spirit and Opportunity, have lasted sixteen times longer and driven twenty times farther than expected. Along the way, they've endured the worst Martian storm ever recorded and survived near-fatal software glitches, a broken wheel, and hair-raising climbs and descents on steep slopes. And since Mary 25th, 2008, they've had new company on the red planet: NASA's Phoenix probe, which dramatically "tasted" water ice on the planet in July. "Is There Life on Mars?" showcases the latest scientific results from the rovers and Phoenix, which has been providing the first on-the-spot chemical tests ever undertaken on an alien planet. Along with the findings of the Mars rovers, the Phoenix is poised to reveal provocative new clues in the tantalizing search for water and life on the Red Planet.