NASAs Phoenix sees snow falling from Martian clouds
September 30th, 2008 - 2:16 pm ICT by ANIWashington, September 30 (ANI): In a discovery that is nothing less than astonishing, NASAs Phoenix Mars Lander has detected snow falling from Martian clouds.
A laser instrument designed to gather knowledge of how the atmosphere and surface interact on Mars, detected snow from clouds about 2.5 miles above the spacecrafts landing site.
Data show the snow vaporizing before reaching the ground.
Nothing like this view has ever been seen on Mars, said Jim Whiteway, of York University, Toronto, lead scientist for the Canadian-supplied Meteorological Station on Phoenix. Well be looking for signs that the snow may even reach the ground, he added.
Spacecraft soil tests experiments also have provided evidence of past interaction between minerals and liquid water, processes that occur on Earth.
Phoenix experiments also yielded clues pointing to calcium carbonate, the main composition of chalk, and particles that could be clay.
Most carbonates and clays on Earth form only in the presence of liquid water.
We are still collecting data and have lots of analysis ahead, but we are making good progress on the big questions we set out for ourselves, said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Since landing on May 25, Phoenix already has confirmed that a hard subsurface layer at its far-northern site contains water-ice.
Determining whether that ice ever thaws would help answer whether the environment there has been favorable for life, a key aim of the mission.
The evidence for calcium carbonate in soil samples from trenches dug by the Phoenix robotic arm comes from two laboratory instruments called the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, and the wet chemistry laboratory of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA.
We have found carbonate, said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the TEGA. This points toward episodes of interaction with water in the past, he added.
Both TEGA, and the microscopy part of MECA have turned up hints of a clay-like substance.
According to Michael Hecht, MECA lead scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, We are seeing smooth-surfaced, platy particles with the atomic-force microscope, not inconsistent with the appearance of clay particles. (ANI)
- Falling snow discovered on Mars (Lead) - Oct 01, 2008
- Carbon dioxide frost consigns Phoenix Mars Lander to history - May 25, 2010
- NASA images reveal cosmic snowstorm post comet encounter - Nov 19, 2010
- Three more missions to Mars planned - Nov 24, 2011
- Snow spotted in Martian clouds: NASA - Oct 01, 2008
- New device unveils more mysteries about Maritan atmosphere - Oct 15, 2010
- NASA declares Phoenix Mars lander dead - Nov 11, 2008
- Mars had 'recent' interaction with water and volcanoes, finds study - Sep 10, 2010
- Martian soil may contain toxic compounds harmful to life: NASA - Aug 05, 2008
- Saturnian moon may have fizzy ocean capable of harbouring life - Jan 29, 2011
- 'Missing carbon' may explain reduced density of Mars' atmosphere - Mar 09, 2011
- NASA's Mars Orbiter completes 5-yr mark - Mar 10, 2011
- NASA's Odyssey spacecraft sets exploration record on Mars - Dec 16, 2010
- US rover to scout for Mars' habitability - Nov 27, 2011
- NASA's Odyssey orbiter to pass Martian career longevity record - Dec 10, 2010
Tags: calcium carbonate, carbonates, laboratory instruments, laser instrument, liquid water, martian clouds, meteorological station, nasas, phoenix mars lander, robotic arm, soil samples, soil tests, subsurface layer, university of arizona, university of arizona tucson, water processes, wet chemistry laboratory, whiteway, william boynton, york university toronto
