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Spacecraft suspected in the destruction of Martian life.. / May 26, 2009 /

Spacecraft that are looking for organic molecules on Mars could destroy all available organic matter in the samples. This conclusion has a group of American scientists, appears Martian conditions in the laboratory. About the researchers reported their findings at a conference to explore the Moon and planets (Lunar and Planetary Science Conference), held in Houston. Summary of the report sends New Scientist.

A powerful argument for the existence of the planet in the past or present life could be the detection of organic molecules in it. One way to analyze the availability of soil organic matter is heated to the temperatures of the soil particles, in which the components of a substance into the gaseous state. As such, the chemical composition of substances can be analyzed in the mass spectrometer.

That is the way to looking for organic molecules Martian probes «Viking» and «Phoenix». None of them were unable to detect organic matter, although the sensitivity «Phoenix», for example, allowed him to find a single organic molecule in a billion of other molecules. The authors of the new work believe that they have found a likely explanation for the failure of probes.

How do I find the «Phoenix», in the Martian soil is composed of perchlorate — salts of perchloric acid. These compounds are powerful oxidizers. At low temperatures perchlorate on inactive, but when heated, they emit oxygen, which burns organic molecules. It is this reaction, according to the authors, could occur in the furnace «Phoenix». Exercises laboratory experiments have shown that when heated perchlorates, together with the organic matter they are all burned.

The closest neighbor of the Earth’s space (not including the Moon), Mars on many grounds suitable for habitable planet. Ample evidence obtained in recent years confirms that in the past on Mars, liquid water was present. According to a recent work, the water flow on the surface of the Red Planet still 1.25 million years ago.

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