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In early 2018, the NASA Mars Curiosity rover confirms the presence of organic molecules on Mars. But, in fact, the discovery could have been made 40 years ago.
NASA's Viking-1 and Viking-2 spacecraft were launched from Earth in 1975. A year later, their ATVs began to explore Mars in history and, according to Lt. idea, they had to find carbon immediately, but that did not happen for some reason. The new article, published June 20 in the journal Geophysical Research: Planets, "gives an explanation.The researchers write that carbon was there all the time, but, unfortunately, ATVs probably accidentally destroyed it. [19659003] As it happened
Four soil samples were analyzed in total.Every "Vikings" sample was heated to its maximum available temperature up to 500 degrees Celsius to try to release the volatile organic compounds in the soil, then analyze the pairs for availability.According to the study's authors, there may have been something in the soil that the agency was not expecting – substances burning burning carbon without leaving a trace
It looked like "Vikings"
Why the fire occurred?] In 2008, the Phoenix Marshall dug soil near the pole north of Mars and found tr aces of salt called perchlorate. Scientists have learned that ancient microorganisms on Earth use perchlorate as a source of energy. However, the authors of the new study have drawn attention to the discovery for another reason: perchlorate is so flammable that on Earth it is used today, mainly for rocket fuel and fires. Artifice to burn faster. If there were many in the Martian soil, Woking's warming attempts could have triggered the ignition of the perchlorate and the instantaneous destruction of the organic molecules if they were there
Evidence
If that was true, then there will be evidence in the ashes. When carbon burns with perchlorate, it produces a molecule called chlorobenzene – a mixture of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine, which can persist for a long time in the soil. As a result of a new study, the researchers found what they were looking for – traces of chlorobenzene in samples taken by Viking-1 and concluded that the device could have retained organic matter in the palm of his robotic arm before accidentally destroying it. 19659010] At the same time, this is not the ultimate proof of the presence of organic matter on Mars. For example, burned carbon compounds could be trapped from the soil and samples contaminated at random.
Source: Science Online
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