Life on Mars If the surface life has been reanimated as recently as 450,000 years ago, then rovers on Mars could find dormant but still viable life at a depth of one meter below the surface, according to an estimate. In 1965, the Mariner 4 probe discovered that Mars had no global magnetic field that would protect the planet from potentially life-threatening cosmic radiation and solar radiation; observations made in the late 1990s by the Mars Global Surveyor confirmed this discovery. Scientists speculate that the lack of magnetic shielding helped the solar wind blow away much of Mars's atmosphere over the course of
Space probe Entered orbit around dwarf planet Ceres in early 2015. Currently orbiting Ceres as of February 2017. First probe to Jupiter without atomic batteries, launched August 8, 2011. Chang'e 2 was deployed to orbit the Moon, visit Sun–Earth L2 Lagrangian point, and make a flyby of asteroid 4179 Toutatis. Along with "Pioneer 10", "Pioneer 11", and its sister space probe "Voyager 2", "Voyager 1" is now an interstellar probe. "Voyager 1" and "2" have both achieved solar escape velocity, meaning that their trajectories will not return them to the Solar System. Examples of space probe imaging telescope/cameras (focused on visible spectrum).