NASA ’s Curiosity scouter has been sniff out Mars ’ atmosphere in search of methane . Methane is a harbinger chemical for lifespan . It ’s also think that 95 % of the methane in Earth ’s standard atmosphere is organismal in beginning . Methane on the Red Planet would therefore be suggestive of past or present life .
But in a printing press league take earlier today , NASA announced that their unfearing scouter had yet to line up any foretoken of methane bouncing about the Martian empyrean . rarity ’s equipment is incredibly sensitive . open of observe methane in quantities of just a few parts methane per billion parts of Martian air , it ’s potential there are some undetectable traces of the gas , but still “ enough doubt , ” says NASA “ that the amount could be zero . ”
So what does all this intend , exactly , in the search for animation ( or the potency for life history ) on Mars ? Does the absence seizure of some tetrahedrally border carbon and H atoms preclude the possibility of animation ? Is Mars a barren , exanimate waste ? Has it always been this style ? Is Curiosity wanderer ( as its rollicking twittergänger , @SarcasticRover , imply to begin with today ) really “ ALL ALONE ” UP THERE ? ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE ? !
Hardly . I mean , maybe . Look , basically , we do n’t know . A methane - containing ambience is n’t exactly a linchpin piece of evidence in the search for Martian living , or living - hold up shape ; even if Curiosity HAD regain traces of methane in Mars ’ aura , that still would n’t have been almost enough grounds to say : “ yes , there is / was life on Mars . ” Nondetection come with the same caution . Planetary scientist Sarah Horst summarise up the situation nicelyin a tweet :
“ authoritative to think : no CH4 [ methane ] does not equal no lifespan . just like if they saw methane that would n’t have been classic evidence of life . ”
Nondetection also does n’t involve a entire absence seizure of methane . give the signal detection ofseasonal methane emissionsfrom the Red Planet in 2009 , one possible action is that the effects of methane sink may presently be acquire out over those of methane sources – some good example of which are depicted in the image below .
For now , it ’s significant to remember that Curiosity ’s military mission on Mars is still very much in its infancy . Methane or no , excitement for certain awaits the rover in the months and age to come .
“ Methane is clearly not an abundant gas at the Gale Crater site , if it is there at all . At this point in the mission we ’re just activated to be searching for it , ” said Curiosity scientist Chris Webster of NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a statement . “ While we specify upper limits on low values , atmospheric variability in the Martian standard atmosphere could yet concur surprise for us . ”
Those surprises could even admit traces of methane – just remember that this gaseous state is not the ending - all - be - all of grounds for ( or against ) life on Mars .
Read more from NASA here .
MarsMars roverNASAScienceSpace
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