Scientists Are Hoping To Make This Surprising Discovery On Mars

Our fascination with Mars is undeniable. Human curiosity with the Red Planet built NASA's Curiosity Rover, which led us down a piecemeal path through outer space to explore the distant world. Along the way, we uncovered elements like carbon, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. All of these components subtly hint at the possibility of life on Mars.

From this research, many have derived that space creatures — Martians, aliens, or whatever you want to call them — probably exist. The most likely dwelling space of such beings? Air & Space Magazine joins the masses in proclaiming it is Mars. Indeed, some experts claim Mars is more habitable even than Earth. Still, after more than half a century of searching, it almost looked as if we'd given up, Space reports.

Alas, we are not so easily defeated. Today, a crafty contraption is clambering through the caves and lava tubes of California. Known as CaveR, this rover is designed to find DNA on the walls of caves (via NASA). And in a short time, it will be launched directly into outer space.

BRAILLE, an acronym for NASA's Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments project, has taken to cave exploration as part of a new, enigmatic program (via NASA). For now, the program is on the ground and off the grid, rolling unsuspectingly through sections of California's Silicon Valley.

Propelling this program is the CaveR, a rover unlike any other built before it. The CaveR was designed to glide through molten lava tubes collecting DNA samples from biomineral markers for one reason: to eventually look for signs of life on Mars. Jennifer Blank, BRAILLE's principal investigator, summarized this mission in a statement: "Orbital satellite data suggests that there are a lot of these lava tubes on Mars. If there is life there, those tubes are a good place to look."

When you envisioned alien life forms, did you imagine they would be cave creatures crawling in and out of volcanic lava tubes on Mars? Somebody had to do it to launch this otherworldly experiment into existence.