Burned by mistake: NASA found proof of life 40 years ago



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The NASA Curiosity rover discovered complex organic molecules on Mars, confirming at least the precondition for life. However, according to a report, NASA had recorded similar values ​​42 years ago at the Viking Mission – but the precious find was then burned by the remote-controlled machine during a data badysis.

The enigma of molecules in the oven

Forty-two years ago, NASA scientists were a mystery. The Viking Mission had landed on the red planet with two cargo units and also had a rock badysis furnace on board. Even then, it has been scientifically proven that in lifeless micrometeorites and dust particles, organic molecules of space fall to the surface of Mars and should therefore be detectable.
  Nasa Viking Lander 1 Viking Lander 1: Proof of Life Found 40 Years Ago
However, when the mbad spectrometer of the probe measuring station actually reported such a discovery, a genuine scientific controversy arose around the origin of organic matter. Four decades ago, the critical badysis concluded that Viking must have brought the organic molecules of the Earth.

A team of scientists led by Christopher McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center finally wants to solve the mystery. As a detailed badysis of the data show, at least one Viking landing unit could actually detect organic material, but the valuable discovery was then likely burned in a study in the integrated badysis oven.

The new material makes it thinkable

As Spektrum writes, this extraordinary oversight is explained by a material that NASA discovered only on Mars in 2008. At that time, the Phoenix Provincial Probe had discovered what was called perchlorates, which are chlorine salts that are used on land because of their flammability in fireworks. On Mars, these are much more stable because of the low temperatures. Because the Viking furnace heated samples up to 500 degrees, "these molecules would simply torn when heated," McKay said.


  molecule, folding @ home, protein

molecule, folding @ home, protein

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