They test a team in Cyprus that they will send to Mars | …

Space experts discussed a research project to test equipment on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus before sending it to Mars to measure the age of its rocks.

Paleontologists and geologists arrived in Cyprus earlier this month to test equipment in the Troodos Mountains, which authorities say has geological similarities to the so-called red planet.

A first meeting of the project, funded by the European Commission, was held on Friday between the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization (CSEO) and the Department of Geological Studies, AFP reported.

“The meeting addressed the objectives of the international space program, the geological needs and the most suitable location for the project,” said the local Department of Geological Studies.

The rock measurement project “is very innovative because there are no previous precise measurements of the age of rocks on Mars,” it said in a statement.

They also indicated that “the geology of the Troodos Mountains has a lot in common with the rocks of Mars”.

The CSEO is participating in a large international research project on Mars, in collaboration with three other European countries and the United States.