Space
Did the Mars Rover Curiosity Cause the Red Planet's Methane Spike?
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: May 27, 2015 06:07 AM EDT
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover detected a mysterious methane spike on Mars in 2014. But what caused this sudden spike, though, is now open for debate.
"This temporary increase in methane-sharply up and then back down-tells us there must be some relatively localized source," said Sushil Atreya of the Curiosity rover science team in a news release. "There are many possible sources, biological or non-biological, such as interaction of water and rock."
The researchers detected the spike with Curiosity's onboard Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory. Over 20 months, Curiosity "sniffed" for methane in the atmosphere. During two of the months, in late 2013 and early 2014, though, four measurements averaged seven parts per billion while previous readings averaged only one-tenth that level.
Curiosity has also detected different Martian organic chemicals in powder drilled from a rock dubbed Cumberland. This was the first ever definitive detection of organics in surface materials of Mars. The organics could have either formed on the Red Planet, or have been delivered by meteorites. But could this mean that life produced the methane?
"We will keep working on the puzzles these findings present," said John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist. "Can we learn more about the active chemistry causing such fluctuations in the amount of methane in the atmosphere? Can we choose rock targets where identifiable organics have been preserved?"
Scientists are skeptical about the spike in methane. In fact, one scientist at NASA's Ames Researcher Center, Kevin Zahnle, who was not involved in the study, believes that the methane spikes weren't from Mars.
"I am convinced that they really are seeing methane," said Zahnle in an interview with Discovery. "But I'm thinking that it has to be coming from the rover."
Within a chamber, Curiosity contains methane at a concentration 1,000 times higher than the puff supposedly found in Mars' atmosphere. However, this methane comes from Earth. It's certainly possible that what the scientists are seeing is actually a release of gas from the rover.
That said, others protest this theory. The lead author of a recent Mars methane study, Chris Webster, explained to Discovery, "You have to look at the amount of methane, not the concentration. The concentration of methane on the rover may seem high, but the actual amount is very small because the chamber is very small. To produce the amount we detect in Mars' atmosphere, you'd need a gas bottle of pure methane leaking from the rover. And we simply don't have it."
Currently, there's no clear answer. Curiosity will have to continue to hunt for the source of methane. Until then, it's all open to speculation.
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First Posted: May 27, 2015 06:07 AM EDT
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover detected a mysterious methane spike on Mars in 2014. But what caused this sudden spike, though, is now open for debate.
"This temporary increase in methane-sharply up and then back down-tells us there must be some relatively localized source," said Sushil Atreya of the Curiosity rover science team in a news release. "There are many possible sources, biological or non-biological, such as interaction of water and rock."
The researchers detected the spike with Curiosity's onboard Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory. Over 20 months, Curiosity "sniffed" for methane in the atmosphere. During two of the months, in late 2013 and early 2014, though, four measurements averaged seven parts per billion while previous readings averaged only one-tenth that level.
Curiosity has also detected different Martian organic chemicals in powder drilled from a rock dubbed Cumberland. This was the first ever definitive detection of organics in surface materials of Mars. The organics could have either formed on the Red Planet, or have been delivered by meteorites. But could this mean that life produced the methane?
"We will keep working on the puzzles these findings present," said John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist. "Can we learn more about the active chemistry causing such fluctuations in the amount of methane in the atmosphere? Can we choose rock targets where identifiable organics have been preserved?"
Scientists are skeptical about the spike in methane. In fact, one scientist at NASA's Ames Researcher Center, Kevin Zahnle, who was not involved in the study, believes that the methane spikes weren't from Mars.
"I am convinced that they really are seeing methane," said Zahnle in an interview with Discovery. "But I'm thinking that it has to be coming from the rover."
Within a chamber, Curiosity contains methane at a concentration 1,000 times higher than the puff supposedly found in Mars' atmosphere. However, this methane comes from Earth. It's certainly possible that what the scientists are seeing is actually a release of gas from the rover.
That said, others protest this theory. The lead author of a recent Mars methane study, Chris Webster, explained to Discovery, "You have to look at the amount of methane, not the concentration. The concentration of methane on the rover may seem high, but the actual amount is very small because the chamber is very small. To produce the amount we detect in Mars' atmosphere, you'd need a gas bottle of pure methane leaking from the rover. And we simply don't have it."
Currently, there's no clear answer. Curiosity will have to continue to hunt for the source of methane. Until then, it's all open to speculation.
Related Stories
NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Climbs a Hill to Investigate New Geological Features
Auroras on Mars May Cause the Sky to Turn a Glowing Green
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone