It's possible that signs of life on Mars could be found underground, away from the hostile environment of the surface.
But searching in places like underground caves requires specialized equipment. Like robot dogs, maybe. Don't laugh, NASA is considering just such an idea, and Klamath Community College plays a part.
KCC faculty assisted NASA's BRAILLE team (Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments) in running computer simulations of explorations of the caves at Lava Beds National Monument.
Chris Patterson from BRAILLE and James Stoutamore, who heads the digital media and design program at KCC, are our guests.
James Stoutamore is having a second go-round with space exploration; he also wrote software for the space shuttle program.