Since man realized that there were planets other than his own he has asked whether life occurred or occurs on these planets.
With the coming of the space age, the answer to these questions can be obtained. Within the next ten years or even less, information should be gathered by instrumented landers to settle the matter to everyone's satisfaction.
The search for extraterrestrial life brings up the question of what to look for, or in other words, what are our objectives in this search.
The author would like to suggest nine objectives and is certain that others may have additional ones to be included. These objectives can be applied to the planet Mars (which is the most likely candidate) or to other celestial bodies.
- Demonstrate if there is, or was life on Mars or other extraterrestrial bodies. 2. Demonstrate if life is found, what forms, metabolisms and ecology it has assumed. 3. Demonstrate what was life's origin on Mars or other extraterrestrial planets, if it is present. 4. Demonstrate what is the relationship between Martian life, if any, and Earth's life and possible life on other planets. 5. Demonstrate the evolutionary pattern which extraterrestrial life (if present) has followed. 6. Demonstrate if there are possible exotic life forms on Mars or other extraterrestrial bodies. That is, would there be extraterrestrial life forms which are completely foreign, or unknown to us. 7. Demonstrate if there are prebiotic forms on Mars or other extraterrestrial bodies. That is, are there chemical compounds which did not polymerize or evolve into living forms (e.g. Amino acids, trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses, purines, pyrimidines, fatty acids, etc.). 8. Demonstrate the seasonal variations of the possible Martian or other extraterrestrial flora and fauna. 9. Protection of the Martian environment or other extraterrestrial environments from contamination by Earth organisms. In order to meet these objectives, what must be determined or, what should be sought to give definitive, reliable answers?
Since one instrument could not obtain all the required answers, a number of instruments or devices should be employed. Thus, it is suggested by the author and