NASA orbiter to hunt for source of Martian methane in 2016March 6th, 2009 - 1:56 pm ICT by ANI
London, March 6 (ANI): NASA is planning to launch an orbiter in 2016 that could map methane on Mars and help settle whether the gas has a biological or geological origin.
According to a report in New Scientist, the orbiter will fly on its own or with the European Space Agencys (ESAs) ExoMars rover.
NASA will launch the orbiter in 2016 to help boost telecommunications around the planet as existing orbiters age.
A rover or lander may follow in 2018, as a next step in the path to one day returning samples of Martian rocks and soil to Earth.
Though the exact payload and budget of the 2016 probe are not yet set, but a team of researchers has presented a vision of the probes basic payload that could clear up the picture of how methane on Mars is distributed and where it comes from.
Ground-based observations of the Red Planet led by Michael Mumma of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center suggest methane on Mars actually stems from a few hotspots that could be linked to underground pockets of gas created by the interaction of water with volcanic rock, or perhaps, by methane-producing microbes.
But, some remain unconvinced of the hotspot result, arguing that the gas should be evenly spread since it moves quickly and seems to have a long lifetime in the atmosphere.
The 2016 orbiter could help determine whether there are indeed methane hotspots.
One idea is to use a spectrometer to look through the Martian atmosphere when the Sun passes behind the planet - an event called a solar occultation.
By measuring how much sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere during the occultations, the spectrometer could detect the concentration of gases in the atmosphere to a sensitivity of several parts per trillion.
It has more than enough accuracy to test Mummas report, said Jim Kasting of Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and a member of the 2016 probes Science Definition Team.
You will also get better spatial and temporal accuracy of the distribution of methane over the planet, Kasting told New Scientist.
The case for a biological origin for the gas would be strengthened if there is an overabundance of methane laden with the isotope carbon-12, which life prefers to process over heavier isotopes.
If, however, the atmosphere also contains heavier hydrocarbons such as ethane, which life as we know it cannot produce, that would point to a geological source for the methane. (ANI)
- Russia wants to join Mars mission - Oct 16, 2011
- Methane in Mars' atmosphere lasts less than a year - Sep 21, 2010
- Russia may repeat mission to Mars moon - Feb 01, 2012
- New device unveils more mysteries about Maritan atmosphere - Oct 15, 2010
- Bad breath, fart sniffer to hunt for life on Mars! - Sep 17, 2010
- Martian meteorites suggest collision with Red planet caused water flow - Feb 03, 2011
- Unmanned aircraft to look for life on Mars - Nov 16, 2010
- Mars had 'recent' interaction with water and volcanoes, finds study - Sep 10, 2010
- Finding life on Mars could get easier with new tool - Feb 09, 2011
- Why is Mars red? - Apr 02, 2011
- NASA Rover finds clue to Mars past - Jun 07, 2010
- Methane on Mars traced to three hotspots - Jan 16, 2009
- Methane gas confirmed on Mars - Oct 22, 2008
- NASA's Mars Orbiter completes 5-yr mark - Mar 10, 2011
- Rapid destruction of methane makes Martian environment too hostile to support life - Aug 13, 2009
Tags: gases in the atmosphere, geological origin, goddard space flight, goddard space flight center, kasting, london march, martian atmosphere, martian rocks, methane on mars, microbes, mumma, new scientist, payload, pennsylvania state university, red planet, rocks and soil, solar occultation, space flight center, spectrometer, volcanic rock