Curiosity rover detects abnormally high levels of methane on Mars
5 years, 6 months ago

Curiosity rover detects abnormally high levels of methane on Mars

CNN  

CNN — NASA’s Curiosity rover encountered something new on the Red Planet last week and the results could potentially have implications for life on Mars. The rover’s tunable laser spectrometer, called SAM, which stands for Sample Analysis at Mars, detected the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission. But the agency also warned that expectations of life should be managed due to the fact that interactions between rocks and water can also create methane, and Mars has water and an abundance of rocks. Right now, they can’t even be sure that the methane is coming from a spot in the Gale Crater, where Curiosity is located, or emerged from elsewhere on Mars.

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Scientists closer to solving methane mystery on Mars, says Nasa
3 years, 6 months ago

Scientists closer to solving methane mystery on Mars, says Nasa

Hindustan Times  

Scientists are now a step closer to solving the mystery of methane gas detected by Nasa’s Curiosity rover on Mars. Nasa Curiosity rover’s repeated detections of methane right above the surface of Gale Crater has captivated scientists and nonscientists alike. Curiosity rover’s repeated detections of methane right above the surface of Gale Crater has captivated scientists and non-scientists alike as …

Is there methane on Mars? Scientists close to solving mystery of the gas on Red Planet
3 years, 6 months ago

Is there methane on Mars? Scientists close to solving mystery of the gas on Red Planet

India Today  

When it comes to the search of ancient microbial life beyond Earth, Mars has been the closest to having traces of gases and conditions that might support the activity. While the gas has been observed by the Curiosity rover, which is trundling on the surface of the Gale crater on Mars, the European Space Agency's orbiter hovering above has not …

The Curiosity rover detects oxygen behaving strangely on Mars
5 years, 1 month ago

The Curiosity rover detects oxygen behaving strangely on Mars

CNN  

CNN — Since it landed in Gale Crater in 2012, the Curiosity rover has been studying the Martian surface beneath its wheels to learn more about the planet’s history. Earlier this year, the rover’s tunable laser spectrometer, called SAM, which stands for Sample Analysis at Mars, detected the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission. “With our current …

The mystery of Mars' missing methane might finally have been solved
5 years, 4 months ago

The mystery of Mars' missing methane might finally have been solved

Firstpost  

Researchers were able to calculate that 2.8 kg of Methane is emitted per day from Gale Crater. Curiosity, that lonely rover on Mars, has been detecting signs of methane regularly, however, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, would pick up significantly lesser amounts of it than the rover measured. For instance, once Curiosity measured average methane concentrations of 0.41 parts per …

Is Mars' Methane Spike a Sign of Life? Here’s How We’ll Know
55 years ago

Is Mars' Methane Spike a Sign of Life? Here’s How We’ll Know

Wired  

In 2012, the Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater, a valley that is 96 miles in diameter with a large mountain rising near its center. “And now for the first time we have a likely source region of methane on Mars.” LEARN MORE The WIRED Guide to Aliens Determining whether the methane was produced by microbes or geological processes will …

NASA's Curiosity rover detects high methane gas levels, hinting at life on Mars
5 years, 6 months ago

NASA's Curiosity rover detects high methane gas levels, hinting at life on Mars

Firstpost  

There are two options for the cause of the gas: Microbes or the interaction between water and rocks. NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars has made yet another discovery about the Red Planet – it has methane gas on it. Microbial life is an important source of methane on Earth, it comes from anaerobic microbes called methanogens that are also present …

Scientists think they know what the source of methane in Mars' atmosphere could be
5 years, 9 months ago

Scientists think they know what the source of methane in Mars' atmosphere could be

Firstpost  

Since methane traces were reported in Mars’ atmosphere, a debate has raged over the findings’ accuracy. Because methane gas dissipates relatively quickly — within around 12 years on Earth — and due to the difficulty of observing Mars’ atmosphere, many scientists questioned previous studies that relied on a single data set. Furthermore, they conducted two parallel experiments to determine the …

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