NASA, the European Space Agency, and other international partners continue planning ambitious explorations of Mars, including efforts to return Martian rock samples to Earth for detailed laboratory analysis. Such missions could reveal whether ancient microbial life ever existed beneath the planet's surface or within its long-vanished lakes.

In searches for past and present Martian life, some scientists say we’ve been too cautious to see what’s right in front of us

A NASA image of Mars has sparked fresh claims of life on the Red Planet after Curiosity captured a mysterious object that some believe is evidence of an alien civilization.