Scientists have never found an example of life beyond Earth, but a general assumption is that ‘habitable’ worlds will become inhabited – that life emerges, somehow, under the right conditions.

The dirty snowball last visited during Neanderthal times, according to NASA.

NASA was quick to reassure people that the asteroid, which is estimated at between 11 feet and 28 feet feet across, would not end life as we know it on our planet.

Turbines that harness Mars’ wind could help power human exploration missions, and open up parts of the planet for discovery where other sorts of power, such as solar or nuclear, can’t fully work.

Photographed for decades on Mars but never heard until now, dust devils are common on the red planet.