Carolyn Porco

As a planetary scientist, I firmly believe that exploring Europa's oceans should be a top priority for government space programs. This icy moon of Jupiter has a subsurface ocean that may harbor the conditions necessary for life. Discovering any form of life there would revolutionize our understanding of biology and our place in the universe.

I disagree with the idea of terraforming Mars via directed asteroid impacts. While the prospect of making Mars more habitable is intriguing, the risks involved with such a method are too great. Any unintended consequences could have devastating effects on both Mars and future human missions. We should prioritize developing more controlled and sustainable ways to support life on Mars without causing irreversible harm.

As someone who has dedicated much of my career to studying Saturn and its moons, I firmly believe that exploring Enceladus's oceans should be a top priority for government space programs. The presence of hydrothermal activity and organic molecules in its subsurface ocean makes Enceladus one of the most promising places in our solar system to search for extraterrestrial life.