Friday, August 12 2005 18:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Human colonies on Mars might not just fire the imagination of sci-fi moviemakers. The possibility could become a distinct reality with space scientists already thinking in terms of melting the Martian ice and introducing life forms to the red planet.

"At a meeting of space scientists from across the world recently, we were asked to reflect upon what we thought could be the next big thing of the future. I said it would be the colonization of Mars," eminent space scientist and secretary to the Department of Space of the Union Government Prof U R Rao said at a lecture here (Kolkata) today (Aug 12, 2005).

"We are in really exciting times. We can think of such exiting things in the future," he said delivering the Bengal Science Lecture, 2005 organised by the Science and Technology Council of the West Bengal Government.

Elaborating on the futuristic vision, Rao told a 10,000 strong audience, mostly young students, that scientists had started thinking of ways to propagate life on Mars.

"We could first melt the ice with large reflectors which would change the temperature of Mars. We could then spread cyanobacterium and follow-up with early planktons. This would take a long, long time perhaps a few thousand years before life sprouts and evolution takes place just the way it did on earth," the former chairman of the space commission said.

Rao said he had elaborate talks with many space scientists across the world who shared his views of colonising Mars.