Methane on Mars
- Thread starter Deckerd
- Start date
Or perhaps there's another geological or atmospheric process for generating methane that we're not aware of. Which would be just as scientifically interesting, though not as sensational as finding active volcanoes or life.
None that comes to mind, the two sources for atmospheric methane are biological and geological, and it seems increasingly unlikely that geological processes are to blame on Mars. It is possible that a chemical process hereto undiscovered is creating methane in Mars' atmosphere, but given that gas phase chemistry of the lower hydrocarbons is extremely well understood, I would consider this at best unlikely.
That's my point -- maybe the explanation is something we haven't discovered yet. Just because methane is only generated in certain ways on Earth doesn't mean there can't be some alternative mechanism that's possible in Martian conditions. I'm not saying I consider that at all likely, just that we shouldn't jump to any conclusions. The planets have surprised us many times before.
However, I do maintain a healthy skepticism. The methane finding could just turn out to be an error in the experiment. We should wait until it's verified by other means before we get too excited.
I doubt it's an error as it's been independently verified by three research groups, two using a telescopes on Earth and one using the orbiting Mars Express.
Now it's even more disappointing that Mars Science Lab has been pushed back to 2011, since that rover has a mass spec and other equipment to measure the isotopic composition of the methane (and CO2). On the other hand, there's no way Mars Science Lab is being cancelled now, despite budget overruns.
-MEC
Now it's even more disappointing that Mars Science Lab has been pushed back to 2011, since that rover has a mass spec and other equipment to measure the isotopic composition of the methane (and CO2). On the other hand, there's no way Mars Science Lab is being cancelled now, despite budget overruns.
-MEC
them telescopes must be pretty good to be able to see methane
You have heard of spectroscopy, haven't you?
Methane can be made through inorganic processes, but it is unclear which it is.
Martian.
Cows.
Cows.
Serpentinisation -- there be rock snakes (or Mysterons) in them thar' hills. 
Whatever the cause, we now know there's water and methane -- makes colonisation and maybe even terraforming seem a lot more feasible -- probably not in any of our lifetimes 'though.
Whatever the cause, we now know there's water and methane -- makes colonisation and maybe even terraforming seem a lot more feasible -- probably not in any of our lifetimes 'though.
What I don't get is, why didn't anyone ever detect this before?
No orbital instruments with the correct hardware,and sensitivity to look for methane?
At least not before Mars Express which made the first detection of methane on Mars in 2004.
maybe the martians eat beans!
No...as we all know...methane cometh from pig shit.
No seriously though...Fox News just had a report on this from that Chinese physicist, Michio Kaku, who said that this methane is coming from geiser-like vents in the surface. And that it may mean that there is decaying underground life (microbes or even other things) that is putting off this methane.
He went on to say that Mars used to be tropical 3 billion years ago, with riverbeds, lakes, and an ocean the size of the US.
The 2011 launch may be rescheduled to try to land near one of these vents and then to drill down in this area.
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That's a Japanese name. And he was born in San Jose, California.
Yeah, you're right...I realized that after I had thought about it.
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