Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Physical Chemistry

Curiosity Takes A Look At Martian Dirt

Chlorinated methanes are detected, but their carbon source, whether they are biological or not, is still unknown

by Elizabeth K. Wilson
December 10, 2012 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 90, Issue 50

MARTIAN SCOOPS
[+]Enlarge
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity analyzed the dirt it scooped from the Martian surface.
Photo of scoop prints left in martian soil by Curiosity.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity analyzed the dirt it scooped from the Martian surface.
SELF-PORTRAIT
[+]Enlarge
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity at work on the surface of Mars.
Panorama self-portrait of Curiosity on mars.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity at work on the surface of Mars.

Hints that NASA’s Curiosity rover may have found organic compounds on Mars were clarified last week. At a Dec. 3 press conference, NASA scientists revealed that chlorinated methanes—CH3Cl, CH2Cl2, and CHCl3—have been detected in a sandy soil sample processed by Curiosity’s onboard chemistry laboratory. The findings were presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. But whether those organic compounds can be taken as a sign that Mars once harbored life is not yet clear: The compounds’ chlorine has been confirmed to be martian, but team members will need to perform more analyses to determine whether the carbon source is also from Mars. Even if scientists eventually show that the carbon is martian in origin, they’ll have to carefully analyze carbon isotopes and gather additional samples before concluding whether the organics are abiotic or biological in origin. That will take time, said the mission’s project scientist, John P. Grotzinger. “We’re doing science at the speed of science, in a world that runs at the pace of Instagrams.”

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.