- Mars’ atmosphere is thin and, compared to Earth, just right there, but it can still teach us about the history of the planet and its current state.
- The ExoMars Trace Gas orbiter, which is a project of the European Space Agency and Roscosmos in Russia, recently detected a gas it has never found before.
- Hydrogen chloride, which requires specific conditions in which to form, has been detected in the atmosphere, raising many questions.
Mars we see today is mostly dry, dusty and barren. Sure, there is little water trapped in the ice near the poles and probably a melting that happens during the Martian year, but other than that, there is very little information that provides clues about the planet’s potentially rich and life-giving history . Projects such as ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to Mars by the European Space Agency and the Russian space group Roscosmos, help pull the curtain back and reveal some of the secrets that the planet still holds.
Now, in a couple of new studies published in Science Advances, researchers using data from the Trace Gas Orbiter reveal that they have found a gas they have never seen on Mars. The newly discovered gas, hydrogen chloride, which is the first halogen gas found in the Martian atmosphere, appears to be related to seasonal changes, but the discovery ultimately raises more questions than it answers.
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The atmosphere of a planet may not seem like a very important thing to study, especially in the case of an atmosphere as thin as that of Mars. But while Mars’ atmosphere may not be enough to sustain life on its surface, it can still serve as an indicator of the processes taking place on the planet’s surface. The interesting part of the discovery of hydrogen chloride in the Martian atmosphere is that it suggests that water was (or still is) a significant component of the planet’s climate.
“You need water vapor to release chlorine and you need the by-products of water – hydrogen – to form hydrogen chloride. Water is essential in this chemistry, “said Kevin Olsen, co-author of the research, in a statement. “We also see a correlation 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 that mean? It’s still hard to say. Anything that generates gas seems to be related to summer in the southern hemisphere of the planet, but beyond that, it is difficult to determine the chain of events that leads to its generation.
In the second paper, researchers reveal that measurements of the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in the planet’s atmosphere indicate huge water losses in the planet’s history. This supports the idea that Mars was once rich in water and probably even supported massive lakes, rivers and oceans on its surface.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games over the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, portable devices, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as technical editor at The Daily Dot and was featured in USA Today, Time.com and countless other internet outlets and printmakers. His love of reporting is second only to gambling addiction.