These two puzzles to be solved in order to find life on Mars
Source:
In June, NASA revealed two mind-blowing fact: Mars has organic matter, and the level of methane in the planet's atmosphere changes with time. This is an amazing news that shook our understanding of astrobiology. And although they definitely do not prove the existence of aliens, most of the methane on Earth is still produced by living beings. And even a child will tell you that if you felt it, so someone had to do it.
Recent discoveries of methane "surprised us with reliable data that require interpretation," wrote a group of international scientists in a study published earlier this month in Astrobiology. The authors of the study, in fact, supported this thesis with their work — they are dismantled, what are the measurements, experiments and missions of NASA and other aerospace organizations have to put to the fore to find the more evidence that Mars supports (or supported) life.
In Short, scientists want to explore the geological activity of Mars. They want to understand what is the link between a newly discovered organic compounds and methane fluctuations in the atmosphere. Their goal is to find traces of other molecules and gases, which can allow some primitive microscopic form of life to survive under the planet's surface. That's what they're looking for.
theFirst: redox gradient
When we eat, our bodies draw energy from our food through chemical reactions that create a flow of electrons and oxygen atoms between molecules. These swings needed recharge of our bodies — all living creatures need it. But due to the extreme atmosphere of Mars, this equilibrium does not exist. The atmosphere is so strongly oxidized that these reactions occur only in one direction. Any living creature on Mars will be so hard to react with air that can't survive. Researchers are looking for components in the Martian atmosphere, which could balance this reaction, thus giving life a chance to develop.
theSecond, the methane source
The Next step towards understanding whether Mars can support life, according to scientists, is to excavate the surface of Mars and find out where does all this methane. While living beings on Earth produce methane as the digestion is not the only way to create this gas in the atmosphere. The future of NASA InSight mission will look beneath the surface of Mars. Its main goal is to understand the seismic activity of the planet, but who knows what she'll find with it.
Why the level of methane on Mars ranges? Seasonal freezing and thawing of ice, which gradually expands and produces methane (we know this from data of the Rover "Curiosity"). But there is no easy way to check how much the methane is there and whether it becomes more over time. And this means that the search for the source of the Martian methane is much more difficult than to grab the finger little green man.
Through the chemical composition of groundwater samples, and atmosphere, scientists could find out the origin of this methane is from biological processes or complex chemical reactions that do not involve life.
Scientists, that it is all consider, but don't think we have convincing evidence of the existence of life on Mars. In fact, once said Caleb Scharf, it is much wiser to assume that it does not exist anywhere other than Earth. In the end, it's the only place that we know for sure.
But if, for some strange likelihood, under the surface hid, or if the microbes on Mars was another form of life, the strategy of the authors of this study probably represents our best chance to find them.
Agree? Tell us in our
Recommended
The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?
the Upcoming cosmonautics day is my favorite holiday. It marks the triumph of the human mind: in just four thousand years Homo Sapiens went from hunter-gatherers to space explorers. 12 April 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in ...
Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?
you Know what surprised me the most? The fact that we perceive the surrounding world as it is. Animals, plants, the laws of physics and the cosmos are perceived by many people as something so mundane and boring that they invent fairies, ghosts, monst...
Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system
In the cosmic ocean drifts a lot of mysteries about the existence of which we are unaware. One of these was uncovered five years ago, when astronomers have discovered a lonely star at a distance of 570 light years from Earth, the brightness of which ...
Related News
Boeing could Finance the campaign against SpaceX
Yes, Boeing and SpaceX both are working to get space to display the American missiles of its own production. Yes, they are not partners, but competitors who are fighting for the most important contracts of the 21st century. They a...
In Europe, construction began on the hunter of exoplanets "Plato"
the development of the ESA PLATO mission, which will consist in the search and study of planets outside our Solar system, will address the German OHB System AG. The project comes into full industrial phase. This was announced at t...
Blue Origin has begun to develop a lunar lander
Amazon Founder, CEO of Blue Origin, and part-time richest man in the world Jeff Bezos hot and heavy with the ideas of sending spacecraft to the moon and colonize space. The publisher of Business Insider, which has got a letter fro...
Experiments with the LHC may compress the earth to the size of a football field, astronomers warn
Martin Rees, the distinguished English cosmologist, made a very bold statement on the topic of particle accelerators: there is a small but real possibility of disaster. Particle accelerators like the Large hadron Collider shoots p...
The Rover "Curiosity" has replaced "brains"
Engineers at the jet propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA, manages the space mission Curiosity Rover, was transferred all the control electronics of the Rover on the second-Board computer, informs the official website of NASA. The ...
Lockheed Martin has introduced the concept of the lunar landing module for the station Gateway
during the 69-th International Astronautical Congress Lockheed Martin provided a detailed description of the concept of a manned spacecraft designed for landing on the moon and carry astronauts back to the lunar orbital station Ga...
On the surface of the asteroid Ryugu successfully landed the third apparatus
Japanese space probe "Hayabusa-2" successfully landed on the surface of a 900-foot asteroid Ryugu third spacecraft – lander MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout). The device has already started working, reported on the website of...
10 facts that make Mars like Earth
Earth and Mars have much in common. Both plans have a similar landscape, but on Mars there is a shortage of water, oxygen and atmospheric pressure, necessary to sustain life on earth. In comparison with our planet Mars has smaller...
NASA again was "put to sleep" spacecraft "Kepler" for new problems
NASA has repeatedly "buried" the space telescope "Kepler". In July it was announced that , because of what it is a month into sleep mode. In August NASA that the device is still in working condition and continues the search for ex...
NASA has announced its plans to explore the moon and Mars
the U.S. National Aeronautics and space administration (NASA) has developed and introduced a new plan for the conquest of outer space in the coming decades. In addition to some key missions related to the work in earth orbit, the ...
Whales and aliens: the extraterrestrial structure of a language can be unknown
"If aliens had landed from outer space and spoke a language that violates universal grammar, we simply would not be able to learn their language as teaching English or Swahili. We are by nature designed for English, Chinese and ot...
UCF sells experimental Martian soil
University of Central Florida is selling the Martian dust at $ 20 per kilogram (about 1300 rubles) plus shipping. And this is no joke. The fact that a group of astrophysicists from the University has developed a scientifically bas...
Blue Origin Jeff Bezos will do engines for missiles Vulcan. The Russian RD-180 is no longer needed
Blue Origin, the aerospace company created by the founder Amazon.com Jeff Bezosa, won the contract to supply engines for a massive rocket Vulcan, which makes the United Launch Alliance. Although Blue Origin is considered the most ...
Interstellar guest Moimoi arrived with one of the four nearest stars
last year, astronomers discovered an object that came to us with the other stars. For many eras and millennia in our humble Solar system was definitely a lot of interstellar visitors, but this was the first that we found. Moimoi i...
Martian moon could occur from a collision with his home planet
Strange shapes and colors of the tiny Martian satellites Phobos and Deimos led scientists to think about their origin. The dark faces of these moons resemble primitive asteroids of the outer Solar system, allowing to assume that t...
SpaceX will deliver to the moon a few Japanese vehicles in 2020 and 2021
the SpaceX Company has signed a contract with a Japanese start-up ispace on two missions for the delivery of several spacecraft to the moon in the framework of LONG-R. Launches scheduled for 2020 and 2021 will be conducted using t...
As it was: a desperate eight weeks that saved SpaceX from failure
They spent the night in bilateral trailer, huddled on mattresses and in sleeping bags, they slept ten in a room. In the morning, feasted on the scrambled eggs. At night, under the darkest skies on Earth, they grilled steaks and wo...
Orbital Martian probe took a picture of the silent Mars Rover "opportunity"
Autonomous Interplanetary space station Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) aerokosmicheskogo Agency NASA took a picture of a lone Rover "opportunity", which are not contacted more than two months. Recall that the Rover stopped beca...
Big Fuc*ing Rocket: 18 new details about the huge moon rocket Elon musk
Although in the spotlight this week at the SpaceX event was a Japanese billionaire Yusaku maezawa the first tourist company, which will go to the moon — Elon Musk also revealed many new details about the BFR, a huge rocket SpaceX....
SpaceX will broadcast a lunar mission in virtual reality
just recently, SpaceX told many details about his lunar mission, planned for 2023. It is also the first moon "tourist" who paid (Yes, there was a prepayment) for the tour around the moon. Together with a Japanese billionaire will ...
Comments (0)
This article has no comment, be the first!