What are the characteristics of the Solar System that lead to the origins of life? Missions

The possibility of finding life elsewhere is for many people the most compelling reason for humankind to explore beyond the Earth. We believe that liquid water and carbon are required for life to arise and thrive, as well as a source of energy. Many places in the Solar System provide these, at least for a time; not only planets, but also some moons and even certain comets. But for life to arise we presume that a hospitable environment must be more than just transient.

*Sort missions by clicking Launch Date, A-Z, or PHASE column headers.

Launch Date	A-Z	Phase
20070928 September 27, 2007	Dawn The Dawn mission intends to orbit Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids in the solar system. According to current theories, the very different properties of Vesta and...	Operating
20160101 2016	Mars 2016 In 2016, the Astrobiology Field Laboratory (AFL), a pair of Mid-Rovers, or a set of three to four long-lived landers is planned for launch with the results of MRO’s and...	Under Study
20030610 June 10, 2003	Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed in Gusev crater on Mars in January 2004. The rover carries a sophisticated set of instruments that allow it to search for evidence of...	Operating
20030603 June 02, 2003	Mars Express (ASPERA-3) Mars Express is exploring the atmosphere and surface of Mars from polar orbit. The mission's main objective is to search for sub-surface water from orbit and deploy a lander...	Operating
19961107 19:00:00 USEastern November 07, 1996	Mars Global Surveyor Mars Global Surveyor is returning an unprecedented amount of data regarding Mars' surface features, atmosphere, and magnetic properties. Scientists are using the data...	Past
20110101 January 01, 2011	Mars Missions Beyond 2009 NASA is developing a long-term Mars exploration program that charts a course for the next two decades. This visionary program will build on scientific discoveries from past...	Under Study
20030708 20:00:00 GMT-4 July 08, 2003	Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed at on a flat plain known as Meridiani Planum on Mars in January 2004. It carries a sophisticated set of instruments that allow...	Operating
	Mars Science Orbiter The Mars Science Orbiter (MSO) is a major infrastructure component for the next decade of Mars exploration. This mission is part of SMD's Mars Exploration...	Under Study
20130101 2013	Mars Scout 13 In the first round of the Mars Scout 2006 competition, two missions for 2011 were selected from 26 proposals for further evaluation in a concept study phase. The selected...	Under Study
20070805 August 04, 2007	Phoenix Phoenix seeks to verify the presence of the Martian Holy Grail: water and habitable conditions....	Operating

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What are the characteristics of the Solar System that lead to the origins of life? Missions