Lift-off of ExoMars mission to find life on Red Planet

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The ExoMars 2016 mission, launched aboard a Proton-M rocket from Baikonur, aims to search for biosignatures of past or present Martian life and analyze the planet's water and geochemical distribution. It will also assess surface hazards for future manned missions and explore Mars' subsurface to enhance understanding of its evolution and habitability. While the mission is significant in its objectives, there are doubts about its ability to provide definitive proof of life, even if microbial life exists. The orbiter may identify promising locations for further investigation but may not yield conclusive evidence. Overall, the mission represents a critical step toward future sample return efforts and the ongoing quest to uncover signs of life on Mars.
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A Proton-M rocket carrying the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome.

Objectives:
  • to search for possible biosignatures of Martian life, past or present.
  • to characterize the water and geochemical distribution as a function of depth in the shallow subsurface.
  • to study the surface environment and identify hazards to future manned missions to Mars.
  • to investigate the planet's subsurface and deep interior to better understand the evolution and habitability of Mars.
  • achieve incremental steps ultimately culminating in a sample return flight.
 
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Is this the first mission ever to attempt to detect evidence of microscopic life on Mars?
 
And what are the betting odds that this mission will discover any microbial life on Mars?
 
Every mission to Mars hopes to find some signs of life.

The orbiter can find many interesting things, but I don't think any possible measurement would be an unambiguous proof of life on Mars, even if there is life. It could tell us where to look, however.
 
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