Big Water discovered in Mars.Is there life in Mars? Searching is going to life on Mars
Analysis of Martian soil by NASA's ongoing Mars Curiosity rover turned up a surprising amount of water, as well as a chemical that will make a search for life more complicated, scientists said on Thursday.
Scientists announced last week that so far the planet’s atmosphere shows no signs of methane, a gas which on Earth is strongly tied to life. Plumes of methane had been detected over the past decade by Mars orbiters and ground-based telescopes.
Methane, which should last about 200 years under Martian photochemistry, also can be produced by geologic events. The water was found by heating a tiny bit of soil to 1,535 degrees Fahrenheit (835 degrees Celsius) inside Curiosity’s chemistry laboratory and analyzing the resulting gas releases.
Scientists found that in addition to water, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other materials, the sands of Mars also contain reactive chemicals known as perchlorates. NASA’s now-defunct Phoenix lander had found perchlorate in the planet’s northern polar region, but scientists did not know until Curiosity’s analysis that the chemical apparently is widespread.
Analysis of Martian soil by NASA's ongoing Mars Curiosity rover turned up a surprising amount of water, as well as a chemical that will make a search for life more complicated, scientists said on Thursday.
Scientists announced last week that so far the planet’s atmosphere shows no signs of methane, a gas which on Earth is strongly tied to life. Plumes of methane had been detected over the past decade by Mars orbiters and ground-based telescopes.
Methane, which should last about 200 years under Martian photochemistry, also can be produced by geologic events. The water was found by heating a tiny bit of soil to 1,535 degrees Fahrenheit (835 degrees Celsius) inside Curiosity’s chemistry laboratory and analyzing the resulting gas releases.
Scientists found that in addition to water, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other materials, the sands of Mars also contain reactive chemicals known as perchlorates. NASA’s now-defunct Phoenix lander had found perchlorate in the planet’s northern polar region, but scientists did not know until Curiosity’s analysis that the chemical apparently is widespread.
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