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Many characteristics of Mars, including ice, are similar to Earth, paper says
July 06, 2009Mars gets as far as 250 million miles away, but many parts of it closely resemble places on Earth, including its landscape, history of water, soil and even its weather, says a Texas A&M University researcher in the current issue of "Science" magazine.
Mark Lemmon, a professor of atmospheric sciences who has been involved with Mars missions for years, says last year's Phoenix Mars Lander mission keeps revealing secrets about the planet, answering some questions but raising other big ones. He is one of several authors detailing the Phoenix discoveries.
"Phoenix landed in a place that has access to Martian ice, which is exciting by itself," Lemmon says of the Mars probe, which landed May 25, 2008. The mission goals were to investigate the suitability of Mars for past or present life, but Phoenix was incapable of detecting life itself.
"Phoenix was designed to verify and investigate subsurface ice, and it found it almost instantly," he explains. The entire area where it landed has water ice just a few inches under the soil. The area is cold now, but it has been warmer in the past."
NASA's charge to researchers on the mission has been simple: "Follow the water," meaning examine all aspects of water - or ice - on Mars. No water in a liquid state has been found yet, Lemmon says, but there is new evidence that Mars had liquid water billions of years ago.
Using its robotic arm, the Mars Lander was able to scoop up dirt, which was mixed with ice, and analyze it, Lemmon says.
"Where it landed is a barren place that resembles the dry valleys of Antarctica," he adds. "The area has mounds and troughs, and just like in Antarctic valleys, there is no liquid water but plenty of ice.
"Some of these patches are fairly pure. Others have the ice mixed with soil containing energy sources and nutrients that could be used if there were life."
Lemmon says the soil has perchlorate, a form of chlorine that is considered hazardous, but certain types of bacteria are able to live on it here.
"The interesting thing is, the soil has a potential energy source and oxygen source for life on Mars," he notes.
Traces of calcite were also found, which shows a presence of liquid water at some time in the past, Lemmon notes.
Phoenix also found weather patterns similar to those on Earth, including cold fronts that bring in gusty winds and sub-freezing temperatures.
Another bonus: Phoenix saw small Martian snowflakes, which leads the team to believe that snowfall on Mars was once a common occurrence.
"To sum it up, we found a place on Mars that is similar to cold, dry environments on Earth, and those environments are capable of supporting life," Lemmon explains.
"There are numerous signs of a history of water on Mars. The snowflakes indicate to us that there are weather patterns on Mars similar to those on Earth. Phoenix has given us valuable insights into Martian weather and soil, and it gives us clues as to how we should proceed with future investigations of Mars."
Texas A&M University
"Phoenix was designed to verify and investigate subsurface ice, and it found it almost instantly," he explains. The entire area where it landed has water ice just a few inches under the soil. The area is cold now, but it has been warmer in the past."
NASA's charge to researchers on the mission has been simple: "Follow the water," meaning examine all aspects of water - or ice - on Mars. No water in a liquid state has been found yet, Lemmon says, but there is new evidence that Mars had liquid water billions of years ago.
Using its robotic arm, the Mars Lander was able to scoop up dirt, which was mixed with ice, and analyze it, Lemmon says.
"Where it landed is a barren place that resembles the dry valleys of Antarctica," he adds. "The area has mounds and troughs, and just like in Antarctic valleys, there is no liquid water but plenty of ice.
"Some of these patches are fairly pure. Others have the ice mixed with soil containing energy sources and nutrients that could be used if there were life."
Lemmon says the soil has perchlorate, a form of chlorine that is considered hazardous, but certain types of bacteria are able to live on it here.
"The interesting thing is, the soil has a potential energy source and oxygen source for life on Mars," he notes.
Traces of calcite were also found, which shows a presence of liquid water at some time in the past, Lemmon notes.
Phoenix also found weather patterns similar to those on Earth, including cold fronts that bring in gusty winds and sub-freezing temperatures.
Another bonus: Phoenix saw small Martian snowflakes, which leads the team to believe that snowfall on Mars was once a common occurrence.
"To sum it up, we found a place on Mars that is similar to cold, dry environments on Earth, and those environments are capable of supporting life," Lemmon explains.
"There are numerous signs of a history of water on Mars. The snowflakes indicate to us that there are weather patterns on Mars similar to those on Earth. Phoenix has given us valuable insights into Martian weather and soil, and it gives us clues as to how we should proceed with future investigations of Mars."
Texas A&M University
Mars Current Events and Mars News RSSTexas A&M prof to predict weather on Mars
Is there such a thing as "weather" on Mars? There are some doubts, considering the planet's atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as that of the Earth.
Exploring the final frontier: Disease proposed as major barrier to Mars and beyond
New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that prolific virulence and growth of bacteria, coupled with reduced production of antibodies could limit future space travel.
A Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings
As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.
New aluminum-water rocket propellant promising for future space missions
Researchers are developing a new type of rocket propellant made of a frozen mixture of water and "nanoscale aluminum" powder that is more environmentally friendly than conventional propellants and could be manufactured on the moon, Mars and other water-bearing bodies.
Alfalfa sprouts key to discovering how meandering rivers form and maintain
Sinuous, meandering streams produce diverse and wildlife-rich habitats and are the aim of many river restoration efforts, but until now, the bank, water flow and sediment conditions required to form and maintain meanders have been largely a matter of speculation.
Laser technique has implications for detecting microbial life forms in Martian ice
An innovative technique called L.I.F.E. imaging used successfully to detect bacteria in frozen Antarctic lakes could have exciting implications for demonstrating signs of life in the polar regions of Mars.
NAE announces award winners John Casani and Sheila Widnall
During its 2009 annual meeting, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will present two awards for extraordinary impacts on the engineering profession.
Cosmic Rays Hit Space Age High
Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA's ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a Space Age high.
CU-Boulder space scientists set for final spacecraft flyby of Mercury
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which is toting an $8.7 million University of Colorado at Boulder instrument, will make its third and final flyby of Mercury on Sept. 29 -- a clever gravity-assist maneuver that will steer it into orbit around the rocky planet beginning in March 2011.
MU logo News Bureau University of Missouri About the News Bureau Contact Us Home / Events / 2009 A Pet in Your Life Keeps the Doctor Away
Lowers blood pressure, encourages exercise, improves psychological health- these may sound like the effects of a miracle drug, but they are actually among the benefits of owning a four-legged, furry pet.
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