Curiosity’s instruments encountered high levels of methane. Scientists now think it may come from microscopic life — and NASA’s rover is close to the source.
After nine years on the Red Planet, NASA’s Mars robot Curiosity is now embarking on its so-called summer expedition. 1.6 kilometers will be traveled to reach places where microscopic life could be found. But now the research scientist believes that it is possible instead to find life on Mars.
To measure methane levels in the environment, the rover is equipped with a “tunable laser spectrometer” (TLS). Previously, the tool picked up overall levels of 0.41ppm, but the exception was on six occasions when the content inexplicably increased to 10ppm, according to reports. new world.
Near a spring
The answer may be life-ravaging microscopic methane, and now researchers at Caltech believe they have triangulated what they believe are the exact locations that have led to soaring methane levels since 2012, according to reports space. And it turns out that Curiosity is very close to one of the sources – it is only a few miles away.
Most soil methane is derived from biological processes, and it takes 330 years before solar radiation takes over the methane. However, the source may be underground, but even if the source is not a biological activity, it may indicate geological activity that can lead to water.
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