The first halogen gas on Mars has been detected and sheds new light on the history of the Red Planet.
The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft detected hydrogen chloride, which consists of one hydrogen atom and one chlorine atom.
Chlorine or sulfur-based gases are possible indicators of volcanic activity that Mars scientists were already trying to discover, but the new find has some strange properties.
The fact that this particular discovery was made simultaneously in remote locations, without any of the other gases expected from Mars’ volcanoes, means that an unknown process is taking place between the planet’s surface and its atmosphere.
Scientists suggest that salt – the remnants of the oceans of Mars – is lifted into the atmosphere by the wind. Sunlight heats the atmosphere, causing dust and water vapor to rise. These two components meet to release chlorine and eventually produce hydrogen chlorine.
“The discovery of the first new trace gas in the atmosphere of Mars is an important milestone for the Trace Gas Orbiter mission,” Håkan Svedhem, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter project scientist, said in a statement.
“This is the first new class of gas discovered since ESA’s alleged methane sighting by ESA’s Mars Express in 2004, which prompted the search for other organic molecules and eventually culminated in the development of the Trace Gas Orbiter mission, for which it detecting new gases is a primary goal. “
A better understanding of these processes – on a planet 194.65 million kilometers away – is essential to understand how the climate on Mars evolved, especially since the cycle is so similar to that on Earth.
“The changing seasons on Mars, and in particular the relatively hot summer in the Southern Hemisphere, seem to be the driving force behind our new observations, such as increased atmospheric water loss and dust activity related to hydrogen chloride detection, which we in the last two studies, ”adds Håkan.
“Trace Gas Orbiter observations allow us to explore the atmosphere of Mars like never before.”
Scientists can also measure water vapor and ‘semi-heavy’ water – that’s when a hydrogen atom in the compound is replaced by a deuterium atom.
“The deuterium to hydrogen ratio, D / H, is our chronometer – a powerful metric that tells us about the history of water on Mars and how water loss has evolved over time,” said Geronimo Villanueva of Nasa’s Goddard Space. Flight Center.
These developments can now be measured in greater detail than ever before. “It’s as if we only had a 2D view before, now we can explore the atmosphere in 3D,” said Ann Carine Vandaele, principal investigator of the Nadir and Occultation for MARS Discovery (NOMAD) instrument used for this study.
Recently, another probe was sent to our nearest planetary neighbor to study its surroundings.
The United Arab Emirates Hope probe mission successfully completed a challenging maneuver where there was a risk that the probe would fly into space to orbit Mars.