Mars, from a Viking probe
(Click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
An article in the 20 December 2014 issue of the Economist<\/em> discusses the question of methane gas on Mars, which is, by far, the most studied planet (other than Earth, of course) in our solar system.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the results sent back by interplanetary probes have suggested that Mars is biologically and geologically dead. \u00a0That is, that there is no life on it and that it lacks active volcanism, plate tectonics, and so forth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But \u201cmost\u201d is not quite all.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And one of the tantalizing questions that remain involves the quantity of methane in the Martian atmosphere. \u00a0The planet should have some, but probably not much.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is reason to believe, however, that atmospheric levels of methane fluctuate considerably on Mars. \u00a0Dramatic evidence of this surfaced on 16 December, just a month ago, when the scientists in charge of\u00a0Curiosity<\/em>, NASA\u2019s latest and most sophisticated Mars rover, published their most recent report. \u00a0Curiosity<\/em>, which had previously detected only tiny and unexciting quantities of the gas (averaging 0.69 parts per billion), suddenly registered a nearly ten-fold surge (to 7.2 parts per billion) that sustained itself for roughly two months. \u00a0Indeed, some studies have even suggested occasional levels as high as sixty parts per billion.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Such periodic spikes in methane levels pose fundamental questions. \u00a0They could be caused, perhaps, by residual geological processes, of course, or even, most excitingly, by bacterial respiration. \u00a0But the most pressing immediate problem is what happens to the methane gas once it has mysteriously appeared. \u00a0Every indication is that the methane levels fall back down relatively rapidly within a few months. \u00a0But how this happens is unknown. \u00a0Ordinary destruction of methane by ultraviolet radiation from the sun \u2014 which is the only known natural \u201cscrubbing\u201d process \u2014 would require about three centuries.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
One suggestion is that a meteorite bearing organic materials may have struck near to where Curiosity<\/em> was gathering its data. \u00a0The methane gas would have been blown away by powerful Martian winds.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The trouble with this hypothesis (which was proposed by Dr. Christopher McKay, a planetary scientist affiliated with NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center) is that searches have failed to detect any new meteor craters in Curiosity\u2019s<\/em> neighborhood.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortunately, a Russo-European spacecraft, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter,<\/em> is slated to go into orbit around Mars in 2016. \u00a0As its name suggests, it\u2019s designed to detect atmospheric gases from high above the Martian surface. \u00a0Perhaps it will settle the questions posed by methane on Mars.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 An article in the 20 December 2014 issue of the Economist discusses the question of methane gas on Mars, which is, by far, the most studied planet (other than Earth, of course) in our solar system. \u00a0 Most of the results sent back by interplanetary probes have suggested that Mars is biologically and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>