{"id":16162,"date":"2018-06-08T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16162"},"modified":"2018-06-08T00:27:09","modified_gmt":"2018-06-08T04:27:09","slug":"video-curiosity-rover-detects-organic-molecules-in-martian-rock-methane-in-the-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16162","title":{"rendered":"Video: Curiosity rover detects organic molecules in Martian rock &#038; methane in the atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a NASA video overview plus an article about Thursday&#8217;s announcement that the Curiosity rover detected organic molecules in Martian rock:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA&#8217;s Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks in search of organics &#8211; molecules containing carbon. Organics are the building blocks of all life on Earth, though they can also come from non-living sources. The surface of Mars readily destroys these molecules, making them difficult to detect. Now, Curiosity has discovered ancient organics that have been preserved in rocks for billions of years. This finding helps scientists better understand the habitability of early Mars, and it paves the way for future missions to the Red Planet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G6baLED8qdA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Graphics shown in the video can be found at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/12967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GMS: Ancient Organics Discovered on Mars &#8211; Broadcast Graphics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;-<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-finds-ancient-organic-material-mysterious-methane-on-mars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet\u2019s surface and subsurface.<\/p>\n<p>The new findings \u2013 \u201ctough\u201d organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere \u2013 appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16163\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16163\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov\/catalog\/PIA19808\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16163\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=16163\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4841,2949\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Curiosity at site of Buckskin rock\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This low-angle self-portrait of NASA&amp;#8217;s Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at the site from which it reached down to drill into a rock target called &amp;#8220;Buckskin&amp;#8221; on lower Mount Sharp.&lt;br \/&gt;\nCredits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS&lt;br \/&gt;\nMore info on this image&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-1024x624.jpg\" class=\"size-large wp-image-16163\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-1024x624.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-1024x624.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-768x468.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16163\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>This low-angle self-portrait of NASA&#8217;s Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at the site from which it reached down to drill into a rock target called &#8220;Buckskin&#8221; on lower Mount Sharp.\u00a0Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov\/catalog\/PIA19808\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More info on this image<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cWith these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life,\u201d &#8230; \u201cI\u2019m confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[ said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in Washington.]<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cCuriosity has not determined the source of the organic molecules,\u201d &#8230; \u201cWhether it holds a record of ancient life, was food for life, or has existed in the absence of life, organic matter in Martian materials holds chemical clues to planetary conditions and processes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>said Jen Eigenbrode of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is lead author of one of the two new Science papers.<\/p>\n<p>Although the surface of Mars is inhospitable today, there is clear evidence that in the distant past, the Martian climate allowed liquid water \u2013 an essential ingredient for life as we know it \u2013 to pool at the surface. Data from Curiosity reveal that billions of years ago, a water lake inside\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/video\/details.php?id=1485\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gale Crater<\/a>\u00a0held all the ingredients necessary for life, including chemical building blocks and energy sources.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cThe Martian surface is exposed to radiation from space. Both radiation and harsh chemicals break down organic matter,\u201d said Eigenbrode. \u201cFinding ancient organic molecules in the top five centimeters of rock that was deposited when Mars may have been habitable, bodes well for us to learn the story of organic molecules on Mars with future missions that will drill deeper.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Seasonal Methane Releases<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the second paper, scientists describe the discovery of seasonal variations in methane in the Martian atmosphere over the course of nearly three Mars years, which is almost six Earth years. This variation was detected by Curiosity\u2019s Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite.<\/p>\n<p>Water-rock chemistry might have generated the methane, but scientists cannot rule out the possibility of biological origins. Methane previously had been detected in Mars&#8217; atmosphere in large, unpredictable plumes. This new result shows that low levels of methane within Gale Crater repeatedly peak in warm, summer months and drop\u00a0in the winter every year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;This is the first time we&#8217;ve seen something repeatable in the methane story, so it offers us a handle in understanding it,&#8221; said Chris Webster of NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, lead author of the second paper. &#8220;This is all possible because of Curiosity&#8217;s longevity. The long duration has allowed us to see the patterns in this seasonal &#8216;breathing.'&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Finding Organic Molecules<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To identify organic material in the Martian soil, Curiosity drilled into sedimentary rocks known as mudstone from four areas in Gale Crater. This mudstone gradually formed billions of years ago from silt that accumulated at the bottom of the ancient lake. The rock samples were analyzed by SAM, which uses an oven to heat the samples (in excess of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, or 500 degrees Celsius) to release organic molecules from the powdered rock.<\/p>\n<p>SAM measured small organic molecules that came off the mudstone sample \u2013 fragments of larger organic molecules that don\u2019t vaporize easily. Some of these fragments contain sulfur, which could have helped preserve them in the same way sulfur is used to make car tires more durable, according to Eigenbrode.<\/p>\n<p>The results also indicate organic carbon concentrations on the order of 10 parts per million or more. This is close to the amount observed in Martian meteorites and about 100 times greater than prior detections of organic carbon on Mars\u2019 surface. Some of the molecules identified include thiophenes, benzene, toluene, and small carbon chains, such as propane or butene.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013, SAM detected some organic molecules containing chlorine in rocks at the deepest point in the crater. This new discovery builds on the inventory of molecules detected in the ancient lake sediments on Mars and helps explains why they were preserved.<\/p>\n<p>Finding methane in the atmosphere and ancient carbon preserved on the surface gives scientists confidence that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA&#8217;s Mars 2020 rover<\/a>\u00a0and ESA\u2019s (European Space Agency&#8217;s)\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/exploration.esa.int\/mars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ExoMars rover<\/a>\u00a0will find even more organics, both on the surface and in the shallow subsurface.<\/p>\n<p>These results also inform scientists\u2019 decisions as they work to find answers to questions concerning the possibility of life on Mars.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cAre there signs of life on Mars?\u201d said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA&#8217;s Mars Exploration Program, at NASA Headquarters. \u201cWe don\u2019t know, but these results tell us we are on the right track.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This work was funded by NASA&#8217;s Mars Exploration Program for the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. Goddard provided the SAM instrument. JPL built the rover and manages the project for SMD.<\/p>\n<p>For video and images of the findings, visit:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mediaresources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mediaresources<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Information on NASA\u2019s Mars activities is available online at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mars<\/a><\/p>\n<p>===<\/p>\n<p>Here is a video of a webcast on Thursday with several NASA researchers discussing the results:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/53kq635mpMs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">====<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?o=1&amp;p=12&amp;l=ur1&amp;category=wireless&amp;banner=02HND5YJK5NEFPBWFS02&amp;f=ifr&amp;linkID=7c7721c131c0bf76b1b2eecfd790e5b6&amp;t=hobbyspace&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a NASA video overview plus an article about Thursday&#8217;s announcement that the Curiosity rover detected organic molecules in Martian rock: Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA&#8217;s Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks in search of organics &#8211; molecules containing carbon. Organics are the building blocks of all life on Earth, though they &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16162\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Video: Curiosity rover detects organic molecules in Martian rock &#038; methane in the atmosphere<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[78,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mars","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-4cG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9471,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9471","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":0},"title":"Curiosity finds new and old organic chemistry on Mars","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An announcement from NASA JPL: NASA Rover Finds Active and Ancient Organic Chemistry on Mars NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by the robotic laboratory's drill. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA16936_ip[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/PIA16936_ip1-300x223.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4671,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4671","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":1},"title":"Latest scientific findings from Curiosity","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Papers published in the journal Science describe a number of findings by Curiosity during its first year on Mars. The press release below summarizes the findings.\u00a0 (I notice that a lot of press articles about this are emphasizing the \"water on Mars\" angle from the measurement showing that about 2%\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"This image shows where NASA's Curiosity rover aimed two different instruments to study a rock known as \"Jake Matijevic.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mars.jpl.nasa.gov\/msl\/images\/Wiens-1pia16192unannotated-br.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10368,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10368","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":2},"title":"Curiosity data allows for brine water on Mars surface at night","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The extremely low atmosphere on Mars (about 1% the pressure on earth) means that liquid water will quickly evaporate. However, it appears\u00a0from the Curiosity humidty and temperature measurements\u00a0that there are conditions at night where brine moisture (i.e. water with salts dissolved in it) can form on the surface even in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA19164_ip[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/PIA19164_ip1-1024x564.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":428,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=428","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":3},"title":"Curiosity tests drilling techniques, takes self-portrait, spotted from orbit","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Curiosity has been getting ready to do its first serious drilling into Mars rocks. Weekend Test on Mars Was Preparation to Drill a Rock - MSL\/NASA JPL Preparatory Test for First Rock Drilling by Mars Rover Curiosity - MSL\/NASA JPL This image shows the results of one test: The bit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Space Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Space Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"pia16717_MAHLI_Sol176_Divot2_10cmStandoff1-br","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/pia16717_MAHLI_Sol176_Divot2_10cmStandoff1-br.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8326,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8326","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":4},"title":"Curiosity zaps Martian rocks with laser","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Curiosity zaps a rock with its laser and gets a brief flash: NASA Rover's Images Show Laser Flash on Martian Rock Flashes appear on a baseball-size Martian rock in a series of images taken Saturday, July 12 by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the arm of NASA's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"First images of sparks produced by the rover's laser ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/226xvariable_height\/public\/pia18401-main_mahli-nova-pair_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":896,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=896","url_meta":{"origin":16162,"position":5},"title":"The Space Show: Curiosity update, California Space Day, and Living in deep space","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Samuel Kounaves joined David Livingston on the John Batchelor Show's Hotel Mars segment to talke about the Curiosity rover's drilling activities, Mars soil samples, and the search for organics molecules: The John Batchelor Show Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 2-27-13 - Thespaceshow's Blog Also, on the Space Show this week,\u00a0 Duane\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Activism&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Activism","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16164,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16162\/revisions\/16164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}