NASA has plans delivery to Earth rocks and soil of the Martian surface, but the most attractive designs, according to some, are in the caves beneath the surface. The fact that the analysis of the material in terrestrial laboratories is considered as the best way of finding signs of life, and the chances of finding them higher if it is material from the bowels.

The entrance of the lava tube, located on the southern slope of the mountain Peacock - an ancient volcano of the Tharsis province. The diameter of the hole is about 180 meters (Here and below the photos are the probe Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.)

"No, I'm very interested in surface samples, but want to get more mysterious material from the lava tube", - admits, for example, penny Boston from the Institute of mining and technology of the state of new Mexico (USA). Such education - traces of ancient volcanism is quite common on the red planet. "I probably could scrape together several hundreds of examples and think that the numbers will only grow as interest in these structures is increased, - the expert marks. - This is the perfect trap for material that suggests that climatic conditions of the previous epochs".

Well, at least on Earth is it so: lava tubes are volatile substances like water. "Who knows, perhaps on Mars is frozen body - large or small. You never know," dreams Ms. Boston. In addition, there, in the back, away from the cold, dry, irradiated surface life theoretically could be hiding today.

The study even the surface of another planet - the problem is more complex than, what here to speak about an attempt to dig deeper. First you need to manage to put the device is very close to the cave. In recent years, NASA has done in this direction is a big step forward. Potential landing site "Viking" in 1976 represented the ellipse 62 174 km, and Curiosity, shrunken this past August, 6 to 19 km. But this is still very much.

The work itself in the cave will require technical innovations. Rover-caver should be more Autonomous machine than the current Rovers, because the thickness of the rock above it will seriously worsen the relationship with the Earth. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to map dungeons and choose routes.

Descent and out of the lava tube that will remain dangerous maneuvers. To get into the cave in the place where its dome collapsed, but it could lead to a collapse which will hurt valuable equipment. So at a recent conference NASA advanced concepts Red Whitaker from Carnegie - Mellon University (USA) proposed to launch in the hole, the rope by which the lava tube penetrate robot-juggler (or if you like a spider). Mr., Whitaker and his team are already working on the prototype of the project Spelunker aimed at exploring the lunar caves.

Ms. Boston expresses confidence that on Mars, such cars will be in twenty years. By the way, appropriate technologies will be useful and on the Earth - in the form of Autonomous robots-rescuers, for example. In addition, this will pave the way for the creation of the manned bases on the red planet, because the lava tube - excellent candidates, so they in any case will have to check on the security and availability of life that can hurt people and which can harm people.