Nasa to learn if $2.5bn Mars mission is a success

Are we alone?

Or was there life on another planet? Nasa’s $2.5bn dream machine, the Mars Science Laboratory, aims to take the first steps toward finding out when it nears the surface of Mars this morning.

Scientists have found signs of water on the Red Planet, hinting that some form of life was once likely, even though Mars is now a dry place with a thin atmosphere, extreme winters, and dust storms.