St. Louis (KSDK) - It's been 12 hour work days for a Washington University professor ever since the rover "Curiosity" touched down on Mars.
It's now beaming back pictures from the surface and one of the men very involved in this mission, and analyzing the images from the Jet Propulsion lab in Pasadena, California is Professor Raymond Arvidson from Washington University.
During a break he told NewsChannel 5 they're investigating the soil, the rocks and what could be old lake beds.
"We're after the big question. Are we alone or do we have neighbors in the solar system. The neighbors may be primitive microbes as opposed to humanoids walking across the surface but we're asking the big question," said Professor Arvidson.
He is on a 90 day assignment as part of this 23 month mission.
KSDK