Latest news with #BarryDiGregorio
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Next pandemic 'worse than Covid' will arrive within years - and it will come from MARS
Astrobiologist Barry DiGregorio fears astronauts on Mars could die "live on air" after being exposed to deadly alien pathogens as NASA aims to send people to the Red Planet in the 2030s Mars samples returned to Earth by NASA could spark a pandemic worse than Covid-19 in as little as 10 years, a scientist has warned. Astrobiologist Barry DiGregorio, 71, even fears astronauts on Mars will die "live on air" over deadly alien pathogens. NASA says on its website it hopes to send humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s. It was planning to return samples before then through its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, but that was cancelled by Donald Trump's recent cuts. Instead NASA says it expects to return samples to Earth through lower-cost missions, without yet confirming how. And DiGregorio, an honorary research fellow at Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, fears samples returned will be riddled with disease. He also claims aliens were already found by the Viking Mars lander mission in 1976. The author of Discovery on Vera Rubin Ridge, Trace Fossils on Mars said: "I believe samples from Mars could lead to a pandemic because Gilbert Levin discovered life on Mars during the Viking missions. The environmental conditions of Mars are so vastly different than here on Earth that any life that adapted to those conditions could be completely different to anything that we understand. "Levin felt the same way. He was always opposed to bringing samples home before we studied what the life that he found on Mars is. Lately they've been finding examples of extremophiles in areas where they put spacecraft before they're sent to the planets, and they've discovered a whole new line of extremophiles here on Earth that they never knew existed before. Therefore we have been sending all our rovers and landers to Mars without a complete sterilisation. "We were sending to Mars from Earth the type of extremophiles that can survive in very hardy places. So we're not only contaminating Mars, but with the Mars sample return situation, we could be doing the exact same thing by bringing stuff back from Mars." He added: "It is possible that NASA hasn't really thought through the idea that these astronauts, presumably, will be televised. Something really bad could go wrong live on air. I don't think there's any question about it. If one astronaut steps out to plant the flag on Mars and goes back in for the night to catch some rest, and in the morning comes down with symptoms of some new disease, what are you going to do? "They have to wait a year or more to come back to Earth and there's no rescue mission that can be sent there. So the smart thing to do is to send more life detection rovers. You want astronauts to be safe if they go exploring Mars. You don't want to send them to become human petri dishes." Levin made the explosive claim he'd discovered microbial alien life on Mars during the 1976 missions. He had been contracted to run tests on Martian soil but his theory was dismissed by NASA. He spent the rest of his life adamant he was the first man to discover aliens, before he died at the age of 97 in 2021. After NASA had landed two Viking landers on Mars, Levin claimed he'd found the presence of radioactive gas that showed signs of alien life. But NASA determined this was not the case in a separate experiment from Viking. Recently, former NASA Planetary Protection Officer, Catharine Conley, claims she was fired because she said plans to return Mars samples to Earth were not safe. She told The Sun: "The Mars 2020 rover was cleaned in a way that was not compatible with prior levels of cleanliness, in particular regarding the amount of contamination that was getting introduced into the samples that were being collected for return. "I pointed out that having a 0.1 per cent chance of contaminating any individual sample, when you have 40 samples in total, comes out to a 4 per cent chance of having Earth contamination in the samples you're looking at. That makes it fairly difficult to be confident that you can distinguish between Earth life and Mars life. "That was not something that the people at the headquarters management wanted to hear and they took the steps that they thought were appropriate." DiGregorio added: "We need life detection to find current life that exists there now. Tests like those that Gilbert Levin used to detect metabolism on Mars, a very accurate method for detecting microorganisms. There have been many opportunities to go back to check this out for astronaut safety." He added: "Microbes attach themselves to dust particles. Mars is a very dry and dusty place and one of the problems the Apollo missions had was when the astronauts returned from their EVAs, they brought lots and lots of dust on their suits inside the compartment with them. "When they took them off, the dust was getting everywhere. In fact they could smell it. It smelled like burnt gunpowder, they said. "If you remember the Apollo mission planetary protection protocols, we weren't really sure if there were microbes on the Moon, and to prevent cross contamination, the astronauts had to wear isolation gowns, put them on inside the capsule as it was bobbing up and down in the ocean and a recovery crew came to pick them and take them up in a helicopter. "It took them to the aircraft carrier where a makeshift trailer designed to be an isolation booth housed the astronauts for a period of a couple weeks while scientists back on Earth were looking for samples in the lunar dust that might have been contaminated. "The thing that was really odd was as soon as they opened the capsule door to the sea, lunar dust particles that were in the capsule could have been swept out and into the ocean. So if there was any kind of extremophile microorganisms on the Moon that could survive in the Earth Sea, we just contaminated the planet right then and there. We're basically gambling with whatever is out there."
Scottish Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
I know NASA is hiding evidence of aliens on Mars – I have photographic proof and here's why they're keeping it secret
LIFE ON MARS? I know NASA is hiding evidence of aliens on Mars – I have photographic proof and here's why they're keeping it secret Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NASA has already found signs of alien life on Mars but is still keeping it secret, a rogue scientist claims. Barry DiGregorio, 71, believes rovers from the space agency captured snaps of alien fossils on two different occasions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 An image of unusual formations found on Mars by Nasa's Curiosity rover in 2018 Credit: x/@marscuriosity 6 The agency said the images likely sow crystal growth Credit: x/@marscuriosity 6 But astrobiologist Barry DiGregorio believes it shows signs of alien life Credit: Supplied In 2018, Nasa's Curiosity rover took images of what it said likely show crystal growth. But DiGregorio accused Nasa of failing to investigate properly and spent two years researching the images himself. The author, who wrote Discovery on Vera Rubin Ridge, Trace Fossils on Mars, then concluded they were 'biogenic' - meaning they were produced by living organisms. He theorised Nasa was staying tight-lipped to boost interest in its hopes of sending humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s. DeGregorio, an honorary research fellow at Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, now claims Nasa found yet more evidence of alien life on Mars. He believes images snapped by the Perseverance rover in 2020 show signs of 'worm-like' aliens who roamed its historic oceans. The astrobiologist told The Sun: 'I watched the rover coming down right on its landing site. 'You could see the engines just brushing all the dust aside for the rocks to become apparent, and the very first images it took were these rocks that had holes in them. 'Then after China's Zhurong rover mission, they published a paper where they said all the rocks that they found were of sedimentary origin, and that they formed in In water.' DiGregorio then saw a striking resemblance to the trace fossils he'd grown up studying in Lake Ontario, on the border of Canada and the US. Meet Sunbird, Britain's secret space nuke that could help us colonise Mars… or even take trips to the edge of the galaxy He added: 'It made an intriguing hypothesis because I had always been fascinated by the trace fossils around Lake Ontario, I grew up around that area. 'We didn't have dinosaur fossils, but what we did have was lots of marine fossils dating back to the Ordovician era and even before. 'The sandstones that I found on the shores of Lake Ontario I felt were a good analogy to what we were seeing on Mars. 'Now we know that those rocks there are marine sedimentary rocks, it solidifies it a bit.' And DiGregorio was so gobsmacked by the discovery he thought Nasa was preparing an announcement. But instead, he claims the rover failed to properly examine the rocks. He continued: 'So the fact that the Perseverance rover landed right on top of similar rocks was almost too much to bear. 'When I saw those rocks all over the place, I'm going, 'what? Oh my God'. 6 Images snapped by Nasa's Perseverance rover in 2020 Credit: 6 DiGregorio believes they show signs of 'worm-like' aliens who roamed its historic ocean Credit: 'I thought, for sure, Nasa is going to make a big announcement. 'And instead, what they did was they headed towards the opposite direction. So they didn't really analyse those rocks at all.' DiGregorio doesn't believe the images point to an alien civilisation, the kind that might be drawn up in a sci-fi film. But he does believe they were jellyfish-type figures that could move around. He added: 'The holes in the rocks tell me the story that bigger organisms were there, but they were essentially marine organisms. 'So wormy things, maybe fish, possibly jellyfish, really ancient type things that moved around. 'I'm thinking wormy-type things that were around during the Ediacaran period. 'Then the climate on Mars changed and the atmosphere changed. 'The water probably got absorbed into the soil and a lot of it left through the atmosphere due to the solar wind.' Mars facts Here's what you need to know about the red planet... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun It is named after the Roman god of war The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times higher there than you can here. Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth. It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C Nasa said after the Perseverance mission that the findings couldn't be fully analysed because sending the appropriate equipment was too complicated. But the agency is planning a sample return mission based on its findings, and did not rule out the possibility of the Perseverance photos pointing to signs of alien life. Yet asked why Nasa would continue to conceal everything it knows about the images, DiGregorio theorised it was because of the potential dangers to astronauts. Mars has an incredibly hostile environment compared to Earth. It fluctuates between extreme temperatures, and has a surface level radiation that would be incredibly harmful to humans. DiGregorio added: 'I think that they don't want to say anything about it because of the fact they are sending humans there. 'If you have microbes on Mars, and they say we've discovered life on Mars, it could be different to Earth life and could be toxic or dangerous to human astronauts. That's what I think it is.' According to Nasa's website, it hopes they will send humans to Mars in the 2030s. A Nasa spokesman, responding to DiGregorio's claims, told The Sun one of the agency's goals is to "understand whether Mars has, or ever has had life, and any credible evidence of potential past life." They insisted the agency will "continue to investigate the best of our ability". The spokesman added: "During its exploration of the Martian surface, Perseverance has encountered many interesting rock features, and the science team has determined which rocks are worth further investigation, and even sampling, based on all of the available data. "To date, NASA has yet to find any credible evidence of extraterrestrial life. "Our exploration of Mars also has to led to many images that evoke our natural curiosity and creativity of interpretation. 6 "Our science teams spend many hours debating what may have formed these visual features, while bringing to bear all of the additional information afforded by our incredibly outfitted rovers and orbiters. "While the science community continues to theorise these images point to possible crystal growth, Nasa's science missions are working together with a goal to find unmistakable signs of life beyond Earth." It comes after Nasa admitted a mysterious hole on Mars could be harbouring alien life in an extensive network of underground tunnels, From orbit, scientists have captured a deep pit on the Red Planet that looks like it leads underground. The image, titled "An unusual hole in Mars," shows a pockmarked planet that could be hiding tons of subterranean pockets. "There are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice," Nasa wrote. "The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level." It's unclear what caused the hole. Though scientists assume the circular crater that surrounds it suggests it was created by a meteor impact. "Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves," Nasa explained. "If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. "These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers."
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
I know NASA is hiding evidence of aliens on Mars – I have photographic proof and here's why they're keeping it secret
NASA has already found signs of alien life on Mars but is still keeping it secret, a rogue scientist claims. Barry DiGregorio, 71, believes rovers from the space agency captured snaps of alien fossils on two different occasions. 6 6 6 In 2018, Nasa 's Curiosity rover took images of what it said likely show crystal growth. But DiGregorio accused Nasa of failing to investigate properly and spent two years researching the images himself. The author, who wrote Discovery on Vera Rubin Ridge, Trace Fossils on Mars, then concluded they were 'biogenic' - meaning they were produced by living organisms. He theorised Nasa was staying tight-lipped to boost interest in its hopes of sending humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s. DeGregorio, an honorary research fellow at Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, now claims Nasa found yet more evidence of alien life on Mars. He believes images snapped by the Perseverance rover in 2020 show signs of 'worm-like' aliens who roamed its historic oceans. The astrobiologist told The Sun: 'I watched the rover coming down right on its landing site. 'You could see the engines just brushing all the dust aside for the rocks to become apparent, and the very first images it took were these rocks that had holes in them. 'Then after China's Zhurong rover mission, they published a paper where they said all the rocks that they found were of sedimentary origin, and that they formed in In water.' DiGregorio then saw a striking resemblance to the trace fossils he'd grown up studying in Lake Ontario, on the border of Canada and the US. Meet Sunbird, Britain's secret space nuke that could help us colonise Mars… or even take trips to the edge of the galaxy He added: 'It made an intriguing hypothesis because I had always been fascinated by the trace fossils around Lake Ontario, I grew up around that area. 'We didn't have dinosaur fossils, but what we did have was lots of marine fossils dating back to the Ordovician era and even before. 'The sandstones that I found on the shores of Lake Ontario I felt were a good analogy to what we were seeing on Mars. 'Now we know that those rocks there are marine sedimentary rocks, it solidifies it a bit.' And DiGregorio was so gobsmacked by the discovery he thought Nasa was preparing an announcement. But instead, he claims the rover failed to properly examine the rocks. He continued: 'So the fact that the Perseverance rover landed right on top of similar rocks was almost too much to bear. 'When I saw those rocks all over the place, I'm going, 'what? Oh my God'. 6 6 'I thought, for sure, Nasa is going to make a big announcement. 'And instead, what they did was they headed towards the opposite direction. So they didn't really analyse those rocks at all.' DiGregorio doesn't believe the images point to an alien civilisation, the kind that might be drawn up in a sci-fi film. But he does believe they were jellyfish-type figures that could move around. He added: 'The holes in the rocks tell me the story that bigger organisms were there, but they were essentially marine organisms. 'So wormy things, maybe fish, possibly jellyfish, really ancient type things that moved around. 'I'm thinking wormy-type things that were around during the Ediacaran period. 'Then the climate on Mars changed and the atmosphere changed. 'The water probably got absorbed into the soil and a lot of it left through the atmosphere due to the solar wind.' Mars facts Here's what you need to know about the red planet... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun It is named after the Roman god of war The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times higher there than you can here. Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth. It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C Nasa said after the Perseverance mission that the findings couldn't be fully analysed because sending the appropriate equipment was too complicated. But the agency is planning a sample return mission based on its findings, and did not rule out the possibility of the Perseverance photos pointing to signs of alien life. Yet asked why Nasa would continue to conceal everything it knows about the images, DiGregorio theorised it was because of the potential dangers to astronauts. Mars has an incredibly hostile environment compared to Earth. It fluctuates between extreme temperatures, and has a surface level radiation that would be incredibly harmful to humans. DiGregorio added: 'I think that they don't want to say anything about it because of the fact they are sending humans there. 'If you have microbes on Mars, and they say we've discovered life on Mars, it could be different to Earth life and could be toxic or dangerous to human astronauts. That's what I think it is.' According to Nasa's website, it hopes they will send humans to Mars in the 2030s. A Nasa spokesman, responding to DiGregorio's claims, told The Sun one of the agency's goals is to "understand whether Mars has, or ever has had life, and any credible evidence of potential past life." They insisted the agency will "continue to investigate the best of our ability". The spokesman added: "During its exploration of the Martian surface, Perseverance has encountered many interesting rock features, and the science team has determined which rocks are worth further investigation, and even sampling, based on all of the available data. "To date, NASA has yet to find any credible evidence of extraterrestrial life. "Our exploration of Mars also has to led to many images that evoke our natural curiosity and creativity of interpretation. 6 "Our science teams spend many hours debating what may have formed these visual features, while bringing to bear all of the additional information afforded by our incredibly outfitted rovers and orbiters. "While the science community continues to theorise these images point to possible crystal growth, Nasa's science missions are working together with a goal to find unmistakable signs of life beyond Earth." It comes after Nasa admitted a mysterious hole on Mars could be harbouring alien life in an extensive network of underground tunnels, From orbit, scientists have captured a deep pit on the Red Planet that looks like it leads underground. The image, titled "An unusual hole in Mars," shows a pockmarked planet that could be hiding tons of subterranean pockets. "There are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice," Nasa wrote. "The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level." It's unclear what caused the hole. Though scientists assume the circular crater that surrounds it suggests it was created by a meteor impact. "Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves," Nasa explained. "If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. "These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers." How long does it take to get to Mars? It's not that short of a trip... There's an immense distance between Earth and Mars, which means any trip to the red planet will take a very long time It's also made more complicated by the fact that the distance is constantly changing as the two planets rotate around the sun The closest that the Earth and Mars would ever be is a distance of 33.9million miles – that's 9,800 times the distance between London and New York That's really rare though: the more useful distance is the average, which is 140million miles Scientists on Earth have already launched a whole bunch of spacecraft to (or near) Mars, so we have a rough idea of how long it takes with current technology Historically, the trip has taken anywhere from 128 to 333 days – admittedly a huge length of time for humans to be on board a cramped spacecraft.
The Irish Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
I know NASA is hiding evidence of aliens on Mars – I have photographic proof and here's why they're keeping it secret
NASA has already found signs of alien life on Mars but is still keeping it secret, a rogue scientist claims. Barry DiGregorio, 71, believes rovers from the space agency captured snaps of alien fossils on two different occasions. Advertisement 6 An image of unusual formations found on Mars by Nasa's Curiosity rover in 2018 Credit: x/@marscuriosity 6 The agency said the images likely sow crystal growth Credit: x/@marscuriosity 6 But astrobiologist Barry DiGregorio believes it shows signs of alien life Credit: Supplied In 2018, Nasa's Curiosity rover took images of what it said likely show crystal growth. But DiGregorio accused Nasa of failing to investigate properly and spent two years researching the images himself. The author, who wrote Discovery on Vera Rubin Ridge, Trace Fossils on Mars, then concluded they were 'biogenic' - meaning they were produced by living organisms. He theorised Nasa was staying tight-lipped to boost interest in its hopes of Advertisement More space news DeGregorio, an honorary research fellow at Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, now claims Nasa found yet more evidence of alien life on Mars. He believes images snapped by the Perseverance rover in 2020 show signs of 'worm-like' aliens who roamed its historic oceans. The astrobiologist told The Sun: 'I watched the rover coming down right on its landing site. 'You could see the engines just brushing all the dust aside for the rocks to become apparent, and the very first images it took were these rocks that had holes in them. Advertisement Most read in Science Exclusive 'Then after China's Zhurong rover mission, they published a paper where they said all the rocks that they found were of sedimentary origin, and that they formed in In water.' DiGregorio then saw a striking resemblance to the trace fossils he'd grown up studying in Lake Ontario, on the border of Canada and the US. Meet Sunbird, Britain's secret space nuke that could help us colonise Mars… or even take trips to the edge of the galaxy He added: 'It made an intriguing hypothesis because I had always been fascinated by the trace fossils around Lake Ontario, I grew up around that area. 'We didn't have dinosaur fossils, but what we did have was lots of marine fossils dating back to the Ordovician era and even before. Advertisement 'The sandstones that I found on the shores of Lake Ontario I felt were a good analogy to what we were seeing on Mars. 'Now we know that those rocks there are marine sedimentary rocks, it solidifies it a bit.' And DiGregorio was so gobsmacked by the discovery he thought Nasa was preparing an announcement. But instead, he claims the rover failed to properly examine the rocks. Advertisement He continued: 'So the fact that the Perseverance rover landed right on top of similar rocks was almost too much to bear. 'When I saw those rocks all over the place, I'm going, 'what? Oh my God'. 6 Images snapped by Nasa's Perseverance rover in 2020 Credit: 6 DiGregorio believes they show signs of 'worm-like' aliens who roamed its historic ocean Credit: Advertisement 'I thought, for sure, Nasa is going to make a big announcement. 'And instead, what they did was they headed towards the opposite direction. So they didn't really analyse those rocks at all.' DiGregorio doesn't believe the images point to an alien civilisation, the kind that might be drawn up in a sci-fi film. But he does believe they were jellyfish-type figures that could move around. Advertisement He added: 'The holes in the rocks tell me the story that bigger organisms were there, but they were essentially marine organisms. 'So wormy things, maybe fish, possibly jellyfish, really ancient type things that moved around. 'I'm thinking wormy-type things that were around during the Ediacaran period. 'Then the climate on Mars changed and the atmosphere changed. Advertisement 'The water probably got absorbed into the soil and a lot of it left through the atmosphere due to the solar wind.' Mars facts Here's what you need to know about the red planet... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun It is named after the Roman god of war The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times higher there than you can here. Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth. It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C Nasa said after the Perseverance mission that the findings couldn't be fully analysed because sending the appropriate equipment was too complicated. But the agency is planning a sample return mission based on its findings, and did not rule out the possibility of the Perseverance photos pointing to signs of alien life. Yet asked why Nasa would continue to conceal everything it knows about the images, DiGregorio theorised it was because of the potential dangers to astronauts. Advertisement Mars has an incredibly hostile environment compared to Earth. It fluctuates between extreme temperatures, and has a surface level radiation that would be incredibly harmful to humans. DiGregorio added: 'I think that they don't want to say anything about it because of the fact they are sending humans there. 'If you have microbes on Mars, and they say we've discovered life on Mars, it could be different to Earth life and could be toxic or dangerous to human astronauts. That's what I think it is.' Advertisement According to Nasa's website, it hopes they will send humans to Mars in the 2030s. A Nasa spokesman, responding to DiGregorio's claims, told The Sun one of the agency's goals is to "understand whether Mars has, or ever has had life, and any credible evidence of potential past life." They insisted the agency will "continue to investigate the best of our ability". The spokesman added: "During its exploration of the Martian surface, Perseverance has encountered many interesting rock features, and the science team has determined which rocks are worth further investigation, and even sampling, based on all of the available data. Advertisement "To date, NASA has yet to find any credible evidence of extraterrestrial life. "Our exploration of Mars also has to led to many images that evoke our natural curiosity and creativity of interpretation. 6 "Our science teams spend many hours debating what may have formed these visual features, while bringing to bear all of the additional information afforded by our incredibly outfitted rovers and orbiters. Advertisement "While the science community continues to theorise these images point to possible crystal growth, Nasa's science missions are working together with a goal to find unmistakable signs of life beyond Earth." It comes after Nasa admitted a From orbit, scientists have captured a deep pit on the Red Planet that looks like it leads underground. The image, titled "An unusual hole in Mars," shows a pockmarked planet that could be hiding tons of subterranean pockets. Advertisement "There are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice," Nasa "The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level." It's unclear what caused the hole. Though scientists assume the circular crater that surrounds it suggests it was created by a meteor impact. Advertisement "Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves," Nasa explained. "If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. "These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers." How long does it take to get to Mars? It's not that short of a trip... There's an immense distance between Earth and Mars, which means any trip to the red planet will take a very long time It's also made more complicated by the fact that the distance is constantly changing as the two planets rotate around the sun The closest that the Earth and Mars would ever be is a distance of 33.9million miles – that's 9,800 times the distance between London and New York That's really rare though: the more useful distance is the average, which is 140million miles Scientists on Earth have already launched a whole bunch of spacecraft to (or near) Mars, so we have a rough idea of how long it takes with current technology Historically, the trip has taken anywhere from 128 to 333 days – admittedly a huge length of time for humans to be on board a cramped spacecraft.
