The most recent probe to be sent was the Mars Odyssey launched in April 2001, which is due to orbit the planet and provide communications for future explorations. Another period of great interest in the planet was caused by the finding of a small piece of rock from Mars in Antarctica.In 1996, the American space agency NASA declared that there had been life on mars in the form of tiny bacteria.
The claim was later dismissed by other scientists, but another study in 2001 confirmed that the rock did contain chains of crystals that could only be made by living things. This has made people think again about whether there is life on the planet now, though not in the form of Martians with big heads!
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