Question

Question 12

[4 marks] Out of the rocky planets in our solar system excluding Earth (so that is Mercury, Mars, and Venus) and the moons Europa and Titan, which one do you think is the most likely to have life-forms currently or to have had them at some point previously.

Provide three reasons (maximum two sentences each, point form is best) as to why you think that planet/moon is most likely to have life now or to have had life in the past.

Use this model as a pattern to write your answer (the three points are just examples):

I think ______ is most likely to have had life both previously and presently. My reasons are:

1. This planet/moon probably has liquid water as based on data from the ___ instrument.

2. This planet/moon has a magic fairies to protect it from the solar wind. (not a good answer)

3. This planet/moon is known to have had volcanoes based on XYZ mission, which could provide environments like those at black smokers in Earth's oceans.

Answer 1

Answer: I think Mars is most likely to have had life both previously and presently. My reasons are:

1.This planet probably has water as in 2000, when an image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor found gullies that appeared to have formed by flowing of water. And most Astrobiologists agreed water is key for life.

2. Our planet has been bombarded by rocks from red planet(Mars) and in 1996, a Martian meteorite rock ( ALH84001) found in Antarctica contain structures resembled fossilized remains of bacteria-like life forms.

3.This planet is known to had volcanic activity (an energy source) to power the chemical reaction that leads or makes life possible.