Life on Mars? Unlikely: Australian space experts

Has life been found on Mars?

Tongues are wagging after NASA called an urgent press conference for tomorrow morning (Melbourne time) regarding ‘the agency’s ongoing exploration of Mars’.

But Australian experts aren’t getting carried away.

Perry Vlahos, vice president of the Astronomical Society of Victoria, said the announcement was more likely related to water.

‘It’s probably something to do with water on the surface,’ he told 3AW Breakfast this morning.

‘It’s unlikely that it’s anything to do with life. Certainly not life that’s anything more than microbial.’

But space news is always abound with conspiracies, and Mr Vlahos added his own.

‘If one was really cynical one could say (NASA) is really in cahoots with this new movie The Martian, and they’re just giving it a little extra pre-publicity,’ he joked (we think).