Flood of evidence in Martian dirt.doc

8/14/2019 Flood of evidence in Martian dirt.doc

1/6

Flood of evidence in Martian dirt: First

samples studied from Curiosity reveal more

water in red planet's soil than first thought Mars rover found that surface soil contains two per cent

water by weight

Sample also revealed carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sulphurcompounds

Future Mars explorers may find all the water they needbeneath surface

ByEllie Zolfagharifard

Nasas Mars rover Curiosity has found water inthe first soil sample taken from

the red planet's surface.

The first scoop of soil analysed by Curiosity revealed that fine materials on the

surface of the planet contain two per cent water by weight.

Study lead author Laurie Leshin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Dean of

Science, said: One of the most exciting results from this very first solid sample

ingested by Curiosity is the high percentage of water in the soil.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Ellie+Zolfagharifardhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Ellie+Zolfagharifardhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Ellie+Zolfagharifardhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Ellie+Zolfagharifard


2/6

Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity has found water in the first soil sample taken from the red planet's

surface

THE DISCOVERY OF WATER ON MARS

Evidence of water on Mars dates back to the Mariner 9 mission, which arrivedon Mars in 1971.

Mariner 9 imaging revealed clues of water erosion in river beds and canyons as

well as weather fronts and fogs.

Viking orbiters that followed caused a revolution in our ideas about water onMars by showing how floods of water broke through dams, carved deep valleys,

eroded grooves into bedrock, and traveled thousands of kilometers.

Mars is currently in the middle of an ice age, so liquid water cannot exist on its

surface at the present time. However, the planet seems to have been warmer and

wetter in the past.


3/6

In June this year, Curiosity rover found Powerful evidence that water good

enough to drink once flowed on Mars.

About two per cent of the soil on the surface of Mars is made up of water,

which is a great resource, and interesting scientifically.

The sample also released significant carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sulphur

compounds when heated.

Curiosity landed in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars on August 6th last year,

to try and find out if Mars could have once supported life.

To do that, Curiosity is the first rover on Mars to carry equipment for gathering

and processing samples of rock and soil.

One of those instruments was employed in the current research: Sample

Analysis at Mars (SAM) which includes a gas chromotograph, a mass

spectrometer, and a tunable laser spectrometer.

These instruments enable it to identify a wide range of chemical compounds and

determine the ratios of different isotopes of key elements.

Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator for SAM at NASA's Goddard Space Flight

Centre, said: This work not only demonstrates that SAM is working beautifully

on Mars, but also shows how SAM fits into Curiosity's powerful andcomprehensive suite of scientific instruments.


4/6

Curiosity landed in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars on August 6th last year, to try and findout if Mars could have once supported life

By combining analyses of water and other volatiles from SAM withmineralogical, chemical, and geological data from Curiosity's other instruments,

we have the most comprehensive information ever obtained on martian surface

fines.

These data greatly advance our understanding of surface processes and the

action of water on Mars.'


5/6

Doctor Leshin added: This is the first solid sample that we've analysed with the

instruments on Curiosity.

It's the very first scoop of stuff that's been fed into the analytical suite.

Although this is only the beginning of the story, what we've learned issubstantial.

In the study, published in the journal Science, researchers used the rover's scoop

to collect dust, dirt, and finely grained soil from a sandy patch known as

Rocknest.

They fed portions of the fifth scoop into SAM. Inside SAM, the fines - as the

dust, dirt, and fine soil is known - were heated to 835 degrees Celsius.

'About two per cent of the soil on the surface of Mars is made up of water, which is a great

resource, and interesting scientifically,' according to lead researcher Laurie Leshin


6/6

Baking the sample also revealed a compound containing chlorine and oxygen,

likely chlorate or perchlorate, previously known only from high-latitude

locations on Mars.

This finding at Curiosity's equatorial site suggests more global distribution. Theanalysis also suggests the presence of carbonate materials, which form in the

presence of water.

In addition to determining the amount of the major gases released, SAM also

analysed ratios of isotopes of hydrogen and carbon in the released water and

carbon dioxide.

Isotopes are variants of the same chemical element with different numbers ofneutrons, and therefore different atomic weights.

SAM found that the ratio of isotopes in the soil is similar to that found in the

atmosphere analysed earlier by Curiosity, indicating that the surface soil has

interacted heavily with the atmosphere.

Dr Leshin said: The isotopic ratios, including hydrogen-to-deuterium ratios and

carbon isotopes, tend to support the idea that as the dust is moving around theplanet, it's reacting with some of the gases from the atmosphere.

She said the results shed light on the composition of the planet's surface, while

offering direction for future research.

Dr Leshin added: We now know there should be abundant, easily accessible

water on Mars.

When we send people, they could scoop up the soil anywhere on the surface,

heat it just a bit, and obtain water.

Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-

samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYz
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYzhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYzhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYzhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYzhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYzhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2433853/Mars-Curiosity-Rover-samples-reveal-water-soil-thought.html#ixzz2gd41wiYz

Documents

Flood of evidence in Martian dirt.doc