Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2016

38 After 40 years from the first Viking probe landing on Mars, the search for life on the red planet is now continuing with the ExoMars mission, that within 3-4 years could tell us if certain surface regions, which seem ideal habitats for basic forms of life, had been or still are affected by the presence of microorganisms. by Michele Ferrara ASTRONAUTICS MAY-JUNE 2016 T he number of terrestrial ma- chines currently roaming on the red planet will be further boosted in October with two new entries, the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander, which were launched together on 14 March 2016 with a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, as part of the ExoMars programme. This space programme has had a long and rather troubled history and, ExoMars: is this our best chance?