Is there life on Mars? It is 46 years today since artist David Bowie released his single asking that very question. And it’s 16 years since the moment when we started looking for the answer.

We have been helping to make Earth’s nearest neighbour known since 2003, when the European Space Agency launched their first mission to Mars with the Airbus-built Mars Express satellite.

That mission, which made important discoveries such as water ice and carbon dioxide ice, is still helping to answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, and potential for life on the Red Planet.

And the latest Mars rover, currently being built by engineers at Airbus Defence and Space and recently named after DNA scientist Rosalind Franklin, has a pioneering mission to look for signs of past or present life on Mars.

When it is sent to Mars in 2020, it will collect data which is vital to making manned missions a success – opening up the way for future generations to explore Mars themselves.

To inspire them with the possibilities of space exploration, we gave local children the opportunity to look for life on Mars at our Mars Yard testing facility and Discovery Space centre in Stevenage, UK.

Thanks to the progress being made today, these children will be able to discover new horizons tomorrow.

Here is a snapshot of what the children found out…