Organic Matter Found in Mars

Soil samples taken from 3 billion-year-old mudstone in Mars, recently confirmed the presence of organic matter. NASA’s Curiosity rover did the exploration. It has also detected the presence of methane in the Mar’s atmosphere.

Scientifically, organic matter can be one of many things, a record of the existence of ancient life, the source of food for life and many more. On the other hand, the presence of Methane, which is considered the simplest of all organic molecules, gives reason to believe that the scope of life is possible in the solar system. Even if anyway one believes life existed in other planets apart from earth it would be totally different.

But the new finding has generated curiosity among the scientists as it provides scope from other explorations involving outer space. Paul Mahaffy, Director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, says “We have greatly expanded our search for organic compounds, which is fundamental in the search for life.”

The presence of atmospheric methane and organic compound on Mars has also raised questions and at the same time, has generated some hope about the existence of life on the Red Planet. Thomas Zurbuchen, of Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, says, “With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life. I am confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet.”

The exploration on the surface of the Mars since 1970’s is in the hope to understand the Red Planet. In 1970’s, NASA’s Viking Mission is the first US mission to safely land in Mar’s surface to explore and send back images to NASA. Finally decades later the hope gets some confirmation.

The samples were collected by drilling 5 centimeters below the Mar’s surface in the Gale Crater, where the NASA’s rover has landed for the first time in 2012. The 96-mile crater is named after Australian astronomer Walter F. Gale.

The detection of organic molecule in the atmosphere and now with the finding of organic compounds in the soil is a strong proof that there was potential life on Mars that existed in the past and the Gale Crater was in all possibility was habitable 3.5 billion years ago, that is what the Curiosity Rovers found. At the same time when life was evolving on earth.

The Insight Lander, which NASA launched on May 5th, is expected to land on Mars by November 26. In its two year mission, it is going to explore in Mars whether it is geologically active below the surface, as the scientists want to know if Mars has Marsquakes. Further NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is expected to launch in July 2020 and then the possibilities of exploration will be more on Mars.

With the new findings in Mars, the work has increased no doubt for NASA and hope in future too the Martian rovers are going to uncover many unknown realities from the past, giving hope of possibilities for future.