Posted by tourdemars to Life on Mars at March 24, 2003 12:00 PM

Are we alone, or is there life beyond Earth? Has life ever existed on Mars? The European Space Agency (ESA) is now offering scientists a rare opportunity to answer these fundamental questions that have intrigued mankind for centuries. In order to determine whether life ever evolved on Mars, ESA intends to launch an exobiology mission, known as ExoMars, to the Red Planet in 2009. As part of ESA’s long-term Aurora programme to prepare for future human missions, ExoMars will deploy a high-mobility rover on the Martian surface.