NASA hopes Idaho project will shed light on Mars life

Researchers from NASA will be in eastern Idaho this summer to start work on a four-year project they say could help them learn more about life on Mars.

NASA researchers will be working with ISU researchers and students studying lava flows at both Craters of the Moon and in Hawaii.

They’re trying to understand how the lava flows there impact the growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses — the types of life they believe can be found on Mars.

“Craters of the Moon has a lot of really young lava flows in it that haven’t eroded quickly. You go to some other parts of the world, you can get younger lava flows, but a lot of times they’re going through much faster erosion. We can see stuff here that we think is very similar to structures that we’re seeing on Mars,” said ISU geoscientist Shannon Kobs-Nawotniak.

The project is being funded by a four-year, $400,000 grant.

Researchers will hold their first meeting in May.