Film Night September – The Cosmos 45 Years Later – Blues for a Red Planet

Episode 5: Blues for a Red Planet

Subject: Mars exploration history; Percival Lowell’s canals; Viking missions (1976) and search for life. 45 Years Later:

• Rovers (Sojourner 1997 → Perseverance 2021): ancient river/lake beds, organic molecules, “leopard spot” biosignature candidate (2024).
• Perseverance caching samples for return (2030s); evidence of past habitability strengthened dramatically.
• Methane detections and subsurface ice; potential for past microbial life now a major focus.