Tuesday, November 20, 2012   Some scientists are pushing for a
sample return mission to Mars in which the robot wouldn't simply
scoop up soil from the surface (though they want to do that,
too) but instead have a rover enter a cave or lava tube and
collect samples there.  Since the surface of Mars is constantly
exposed to radiation, they argue the best place to look for
life-- past or present-- would be subsurface.  Protected areas
like caves or lava tubes, where rock blocks incoming radiation,
might also work.  Plus, they point out, such places could
preserve a history of life on Mars, as they do on Earth.  Future
life on Mars could also be served by such a mission, they point
out.  Lava tubes could be excellent sites for the first human
settlements on Mars, as they would provide both protection from
radiation and a consistent, controlled environment.  Of course,
if Martian life already exists in such places, that could
complicate or delay any human missions to the Red Planet.  No
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