Life on Mars? That'll be us

AT A RECENT CONFERENCE, Ouyang Ziyuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China will launch a mission to Mars with Martian satellite, Martian lander, as well as Martian rover. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

In his speech, Ouyang mentioned that one of the main purposes of the probe is to determine if the planet is suitable for terraforming so humans can inhabit it.

For some, his words may sound like science fiction. It remains a fact that only about 400 people in the whole of human history have ever ventured into space. Of them, only 12 astronauts have left their steps on the moon, the nearest celestial body to our Earth.