Space
Mars Rover Curiosity Discovers Evidence of More Perchlorate Salts: Life on the Red Planet?
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Apr 02, 2013 11:41 AM EDT
Is there life on Mars? There probably isn't, despite all of the hype around it. Yet the Mars rover Curiosity may have just gathered evidence that shows something else about the Red Planet. Perchlorates could be widespread across the surface of Mars and if so, these minerals could serve as a potential energy source for Martian microorganisms--assuming there are any to begin with.
The findings came after the rover journeyed to Rocknest, a site that scientists picked out only after researching it extensively beforehand. Researchers first used the Mastcam color cameras in order to search for a suitable drift of sandy soil. They then used the ChemCam laser and APXS chemical sensor to do an initial technical analysis of the location in order to determine whether the soil was safe for scooping and sending to the laboratories. Only then did the researchers finally have Curiosity scoop the sand up for analysis.
In order to properly analyze the soil, the laboratory heated up the soil in an oven and measured the various gases released as the soil components broke down. These components included water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur. In the end, they found that the soil was comprised of elements that are typical of other Martian soils. In particular, it included simple carbon containing molecules and perchlorate salts. So far, no complex organic molecules have been found by the rover.
Perchlorates, a class of salts, were first identified on Mars in a polar region by the West Chemistry Laboratory on NASA's Phoenix lander in 2008, according to Space.com. Since then, perchlorates have been detected in various other sites across the Mars surface.
So what does this mean? It could show that these perchlorates are actually widespread across the Martian surface, though more research needs to be conducted and more samples need to be taken before any conclusions are drawn. In fact, the possibility that perchlorates are widespread on Mars was announced in a March 19 presentation during the 44th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.
Yet others believe that the presence of this class of salts could reveal the possibility of life on Mars.
"We know of microbes on Earth that actually use perchlorate as an energy source," said Doug Archer, a scientist with the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, in an interview with Space.com.
Life on Mars may be a bit of a stretch, but the findings do reveal clues about the composition of the Martian surface. It could allow researchers to better understand the formation and history of the Red Planet.
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First Posted: Apr 02, 2013 11:41 AM EDT
Is there life on Mars? There probably isn't, despite all of the hype around it. Yet the Mars rover Curiosity may have just gathered evidence that shows something else about the Red Planet. Perchlorates could be widespread across the surface of Mars and if so, these minerals could serve as a potential energy source for Martian microorganisms--assuming there are any to begin with.
The findings came after the rover journeyed to Rocknest, a site that scientists picked out only after researching it extensively beforehand. Researchers first used the Mastcam color cameras in order to search for a suitable drift of sandy soil. They then used the ChemCam laser and APXS chemical sensor to do an initial technical analysis of the location in order to determine whether the soil was safe for scooping and sending to the laboratories. Only then did the researchers finally have Curiosity scoop the sand up for analysis.
In order to properly analyze the soil, the laboratory heated up the soil in an oven and measured the various gases released as the soil components broke down. These components included water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur. In the end, they found that the soil was comprised of elements that are typical of other Martian soils. In particular, it included simple carbon containing molecules and perchlorate salts. So far, no complex organic molecules have been found by the rover.
Perchlorates, a class of salts, were first identified on Mars in a polar region by the West Chemistry Laboratory on NASA's Phoenix lander in 2008, according to Space.com. Since then, perchlorates have been detected in various other sites across the Mars surface.
So what does this mean? It could show that these perchlorates are actually widespread across the Martian surface, though more research needs to be conducted and more samples need to be taken before any conclusions are drawn. In fact, the possibility that perchlorates are widespread on Mars was announced in a March 19 presentation during the 44th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.
Yet others believe that the presence of this class of salts could reveal the possibility of life on Mars.
"We know of microbes on Earth that actually use perchlorate as an energy source," said Doug Archer, a scientist with the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, in an interview with Space.com.
Life on Mars may be a bit of a stretch, but the findings do reveal clues about the composition of the Martian surface. It could allow researchers to better understand the formation and history of the Red Planet.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone