ESA Roadmap for the Search for Life and Human Space Exploration

Currently the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a long-term strategy for planetary exploration, pursuing the search for life in the solar system. Human scientific exploration missions to Mars are seen as the final target scenario for this strategy. These human missions will pose numerous challenges not only technologically, but also in terms of scientific preparation. Improved characterisation of the possibilities for life on Mars is as essential as preparatory ground-based research into human related issues such as the psychological and physiological effects of long-term confinement and isolation.