Can Mars Support Life?

Can Mars Support Life? means we're asking if Mars can be like Earth, a planet where living things, like you and me, could grow, play, and stay healthy.

Imagine Earth is your favorite playground with lots of grass, trees, and water to splash in. Now picture Mars, which is farther from the Sun, kind of like a smaller, cooler version of Earth. It has red dirt instead of green grass, but it still has hills and valleys you could climb.

To be like Earth, Mars needs two main things:

• Water, just like you need water to drink.
• Air, so living things can breathe.

Right now, scientists have found signs of water on Mars, some frozen at the poles and maybe even some trickling out in certain spots. But the air on Mars is very thin, mostly made up of carbon dioxide, which is like a special kind of gas that Earth's air doesn’t have much of.

So if we can give Mars more water and better air, it might be able to support life, maybe even little creatures or plants that are used to cooler, cozier places. Can Mars Support Life? means we're asking if Mars can be like Earth, a planet where living things, like you and me, could grow, play, and stay healthy.

Imagine Earth is your favorite playground with lots of grass, trees, and water to splash in. Now picture Mars, which is farther from the Sun, kind of like a smaller, cooler version of Earth. It has red dirt instead of green grass, but it still has hills and valleys you could climb.