Does NASA plan on answering the question: 'Are we alone?' Well, it seems they might, as the space agency begins to practice for a possible manned mission to Mars in Hawaii.
According to the Associated Press, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the site of training for NASA as it prepares for eventual manned missions to Mars. Reportedly, researchers will practice searching for rock samples near Mauna Ulu, just as if they would on Mars.
NASA officials reportedly said the reason for the Hawaii training is to develop protocols that will be used on a real Mars mission in the future.
One of the concerns NASA has with future Mars missions is that rocks on the Red Planet may be home to living bacteria. "Really, the whole reason of going to Mars is to see if there's life there," said John Hamilton, an astoronomy faculty member at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
The NASA project involving possible Martian life is called BASALT, or "Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains."
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