Mission to hunt for alien life on Mars has landing site chosen by scientists

A robot on a mission to Mars to search for signs of alien life, has after years of discussion, has had its landing site selected more than four years of discussion. Due to land in 2021, the ExoMars rover will drill into the surface of the red planet to search for evidence of ancient life buried underground. The team behind the joint European-Russian project has selected a spot called Oxia Planum, which scientists think was the site of a large body of water billions of years ago. Going to Mars could destroy astronauts' guts, Nasa-funded study finds Going to Mars could destroy astronauts' guts, Nasa-funded study finds Experts had previously been wavering between that site and another called Mawrth Vallis, which also bears signs of a wetter past on Mars. Now the Landing Site Selection Working Group has opted for Oxia Planum as their preferred site, a decision that will be officially confirmed next year.