The Mysterious Methane of Mars
Explanation:
What's creating methane on Mars?
Recent measurements from the robotic
Curiosity rover
currently rolling across Mars indicate a
surprising 10-fold increase
in atmospheric
methane
between measurements only months apart.
Life is a major
producer of methane on
Earth, and so speculation is rampant that some sort of
life --
possibly microbial life -- is creating
methane beneath the surface of Mars.
Other possibilities do exist, though, with a leading model being the sudden release
of
methane
produced by the mixing of specific soil chemicals with underground water.
Proposed origins of Martian methane are depicted in the
featured illustration.
The origin of Mars' methane is a very active area of research,
with missions like
Curiosity and India's
Mars Orbiter Mission searching for clues by measuring methane abundance changes
and possible byproducts of different methane-producing processes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
