In 2013, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch a mission called ExoMars in which a Martian rover will search for evidence of past or present life. The ESA just recently released a short list containing the possible landing sites for this mission. These particular sites were chosen because they are home to some of Mars' oldest rocks, which were in contact with water just after the planets formation. Here are the possible sites:
- Mawrth Vallis - an ancient valley covered with light-coloured clay-rich minerals
- Nili Fossae - large eroded surface fracture partially filled with clay-rich debris from a space impact
- Meridiani Planum - Esa is looking at two different sites on this plain located two degrees south of the equator
- Holden Crater - an ancient lakebed with layered sedimentary deposits
- Gale Crater - an impact crater with exposed layered deposits
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7093172.stm
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