Three Countries Send Spacecraft to Mars

China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States plan to launch unpiloted spaceships in the next few weeks to fly to Mars. The operations are aimed at searching for signs of ancient, microscopic life. Each country hopes the research will help them learn if astronauts could someday visit the red planet.

The spaceships are expected to reach Mars in February after traveling about 485 million kilometers. Scientists want to find out what Mars was like billions of years ago, when it had rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Ken Farley is a professor at California Institute of Technology and a project scientist for Perseverance, the U.S. rover that will go to Mars. He noted how hard it is to confirm that life existed on another planet. There is "a very big burden of proof," he said.

It is not by chance that the three launches are taking place soon. Mars and Earth are currently in positions that favor such travel, permitting shorter travel time and less fuel use. The positioning happens about every two years.

新闻来源：AP