- The atmosphere of Mars is thin and, compared to Earth, hardly present, but it can still teach us about the history of the planet and its current status.
- The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a project of the European Space Agency and Russia’s Roscosmos, recently discovered a gas that has never been found before.
- Hydrogen chloride, which requires specific conditions to form, has been found in the atmosphere and raises many questions.
The Mars we see today is largely dry, dusty, and barren. Sure, there is some water trapped in ice near the poles, and possibly some melting during the Mars year, but other than that, there is very little that gives clues to the planet’s potentially rich and life-giving history. Projects like the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to Mars by the European Space Agency and the Russian space group Roscosmos, help pull back the curtain and reveal some of the secrets the planet still holds.
Now, in a few new studies published in Science Advances, researchers using data from the Trace Gas Orbiter reveal that they’ve found a gas they’ve never seen on Mars before. The newly discovered gas, hydrogen chloride, the first halogen gas to be found in Mars’ atmosphere, appears to be related to seasonal changes, but the discovery ultimately raises more questions than it answers.
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A planet’s atmosphere may not seem super important to study, especially in the case of an atmosphere as thin as Mars’s. But while the atmosphere of Mars may not be enough to support life on the surface, it can still serve as an indicator of what processes are taking place on the planet’s surface. The exciting thing about discovering hydrogen chloride in the atmosphere of Mars is that it suggests that water was (or still is) an important part 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 crucial in this chemistry, ”said Kevin Olsen, co-author of the study, in a statement. “We also see a connection 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 this mean? It’s still hard to tell. Whatever the gas generates appears to be related to summer in the planet’s southern hemisphere, but beyond it, it is difficult to determine the sequence of events leading to its creation.
In the second paper, researchers reveal that measurements of the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in the planet’s atmosphere indicate massive losses of water throughout the planet’s history. This supports the idea that Mars was once rich in water and may even support huge lakes, rivers, and oceans on the surface.
Mike Wehner has spent the last decade reporting on technology and video games, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and numerous other web and print stores. His love of reporting comes second to his gaming addiction.