The Race To Mars
The race to Mars has intensified, with space agencies like NASA, ESA, CNSA, and private space companies planning to send humans to the Red Planet. This endeavor holds significant implications for astrobiology and planetary protection. In a commentary published today in Nature Astronomy, Cornell University's Visiting Scientist, Alberto G. Fairén, and Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Center, shed light on these implications and propose a way forward.