Whoever said what you dont know wont hurt you was an idiot and definitely wasnt planning a mission to Mars. In fact, humanity have always had a fear of the mysteries of Mars. Upon discovery of lines across the Martian surface, humanity took that to mean the presence of canals constructed by intelligent life. Or even in the War of the Worlds, humanity was naïve to the power of other intelligent life forms. Were scared by the unknown. Recent discoveries have indicated running water and the presence of methane on the red planet both being very vital signs of life. Could we be the alien invaders to the existence of some other life-form? Why is this bad news? Although weve probed the Martian surface fairly thoroughly with rovers like Curiosity and Pathfinder, weve still only dipped our toes into the vast ocean that is Mars. With the discovery of running water and methane on Mars, the probability of finding simple life such as bacteria has increased substantially. A human expedition to Mars would be grossly unprepared for what they may find. Could Martian bacteria or pathogens be harmful to us in the same way the common cold brought down the invaders in War of the Worlds? Furthermore, what could be found underground on Mars, away from the harmful radiation of the Sun? Although the chances of intelligent life are incredibly slim, I certainly wouldnt want to be the first person to come across an underground and unknown species of Mars-Snake or Mars-Spider.
