- Mars’ atmosphere is fine and, compared to Earth, it barely gets there, but it can still teach us the history of the planet and its current state.
- The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which is a project of the European Space Agency and Roscosmos of Russia, recently detected a gas it had never found before.
- Hydrogen chloride, which requires specific conditions to form, has been detected in the atmosphere, which raises many questions.
The Mars we see today is mostly dry, dusty, and barren. Of course, there is some water locked in the ice near the poles and possibly some thawing that occurs during the Martian year, but other than that there is very little that offers clues about the potentially rich and life-giving history of the planet. Projects such as the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to Mars by the European Space Agency and the Russian space group Roscosmos, are helping to draw the curtain and reveal some of the secrets the planet still holds.
Now, in a couple of new studies published in Science Advances, researchers using data from the Trace Gas Orbiter reveal that they have found a gas they had never seen around Mars. The new gas, hydrogen chloride, which is the first halogen gas found in the Martian atmosphere, appears to be related to seasonal changes, but the discovery raises more questions than it answers.
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The atmosphere of a planet may not seem like a very important thing to study, especially in the case of an atmosphere as thin as that of Mars. But while Mars’ atmosphere may not be enough to keep life on its surface, it can still serve as an indicator of what processes are taking place on the planet’s surface. The exciting part of the discovery of hydrogen chloride in the Martian atmosphere is that it suggests that water was (or still is) a significant component of the planet’s climatology.
“You need water vapor to release chlorine and you need the byproducts of water, hydrogen, to form hydrogen chloride. Water is key in this chemistry,” said Kevin Olsen, co-author of the research. in a statement. “We also observe a correlation with dust: we see more hydrogen chloride as dust activity increases, a process related to the seasonal warming of the southern hemisphere.”
But what exactly does that mean? It’s still hard to say. What the gas is generating seems to be related to summer in the southern hemisphere of the planet, but beyond that, it is difficult to determine the chain of events that leads to its generation.
In the second article, researchers reveal that measurements of the deuterium / hydrogen ratio in the planet’s atmosphere point to large water losses throughout the planet’s history. This supports the idea that Mars was once rich in water and that it could even withstand massive lakes, rivers, and oceans on its surface.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games over the past decade, addressing the latest developments and trends in VR, portable devices, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a technical editor at The Daily Dot and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com and countless other web and print outlets. His love of reporting is only second to his gambling addiction.