NASA has found plausible signs of life on Mars

Mars NASA Curiosity discovered high levels of methane on the surface of Mars, quoted Газета.ру message The New York Times. There is no official announcement from NASA. Attention is drawn to the fact that NASA or scientists usually publish such discoveries in a publishing journal. This time the leak occurred in the media.

Фото: Depositphotos

The discovery was made during measurements of methane levels on the surface of Mars. Curiosity “smelled” 21 a billion methane particle, three times more than in 2013.

This is not the first time that researchers have discovered traces of methane on Mars, but at the moment it has been detected at the highest concentration.

On the subject: NASA presented projects of residential settlements on Mars. A PHOTO

Methane in higher concentrations in the air is present on Earth - it is formed by living beings, so the researchers are going to find out whether methane on Mars is associated with life on it. Hypothetically, it could appear due to microbes that live under the surface of the planet. New analysis Curiosity will hold on Monday.

Moreover, such a finding may indicate that life on Mars, through which methane was formed, may be present on the planet right now - if methane had been formed long ago, it would have already decayed into its constituent elements. Mission leaders on Earth have requested additional data to check and find out whether such high concentrations are indeed recorded.

However, methane can be produced without living organisms. It is possible that it got into the atmosphere from underground deposits through small cracks in the ground.

In April, the Trace Gas Orbiter 2019 conducted similar measurements, but the concentration of methane in the crater Gale was so low that previous data, which showed higher values, the scientists attributed to an error in the calculations.

However, the absence of methane in the atmosphere raised the question of where did the carbon absorbed by Mars from the interplanetary medium go then. This is hundreds of tons per year, and at least part of the carbon falling on the planet was supposed to turn into methane. In addition, if methane is detected on the surface, but not by remote sensing, this may be evidence in favor of the hypothesis of the flow of gas with small local emissions from the soil.

The rover Curiosity was delivered to Mars 6 August 2012 of the year. His task was to find out whether there were suitable conditions for life on Mars, to collect detailed data on the climate and geology of Mars, and to prepare for a man’s landing on Mars.

On the subject: For the first time in history, NASA sent a probe to the Sun: why and how

Since the landing, Curiosity has already covered more than 16 km and climbed 165 m along the slope of Mount Eolid. He found traces of an ancient stream, determined the mineral composition of the Martian soil, for the first time in history, drilled the surface of Mars and extracted samples of solid soil.

The three-meter rover weighs 899 kg and travels at speeds up to 144 m / h. It is equipped with cameras, a set of instruments for remote research, a spectrometer, a bucket for soil acquisition, a set of meteorological equipment. In total, he has 10 scientific instruments for studying the external conditions on the surface of Mars and 17 color and black-and-white cameras for navigation and filming.

A Russian DAN neutron detector (Dynamic Neutron Albedo) was also installed on board. DAN is a neutron "probe" - the generator of the device irradiates the surface of the planet with high-energy neutrons and determines the content of hydrogen, and therefore water, as well as hydrated minerals by means of the secondary neutron flux property. Zones with a large number of these substances are of greatest interest for finding traces of life.

Already in the first months of work, Curiosity discovered traces of an ancient lake in Gale's crater, which, according to scientists, was freshwater and contained carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur - the key chemical elements necessary for the birth of life.

Nevertheless, the rover has not yet found any traces of life itself. In 2012 – 2013, Curiosity diligently analyzed soil samples in search of methane, which could also indicate the existence of life on Mars, but without success. Finally, in 2014, he discovered the presence of methane in the atmosphere of the planet, as well as organic molecules in rock samples. In addition, fossils were found that are similar to those that form terrestrial microbes in the shallow waters of lakes and rivers. However, these findings still do not speak about the existence of life on Mars directly.

Read also on ForumDaily:

NASA will send tourists into space for $ 35 thousands per day

"Technology must be out of politics": Russian schoolchild received a small Nobel Prize in the United States

"This is not Hollywood and not a movie": the head of NASA warned of a real threat to the Earth

Dreamed of space since childhood: how a Russian engineer from New York makes space suits for NASA

10 times more powerful than Hiroshima: NASA told about the explosion of a meteorite in Kamchatka

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.