Scientists are interested in more than just the rocks NASA's Perseverance rover collects during its journey across Mars. They also want air.
Since landing on Mars in 2021, Perseverance The team has collected 24 samples of Martian rock and dust, also known as regolith. The cores of these rocks are believed to provide information about the planet's ancient past and whether the planet still exists. life ever existed On Mars, but the air sealed inside the sample tube could prove equally important. Scientists believe that this fresh air from the Red Planet could also provide new clues about the Martian atmosphere.
“Air samples Mars planet “It will tell us not only about the current climate and atmosphere, but also how it has changed over time,” said Brandy Carrier, a planetary scientist at NASA. Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, it is said a statement“This will help us understand how climates that are different from ours evolve.”
The samples are sealed in titanium tubes, leaving room for extra “headspace,” or air, around the rocky material, giving scientists the opportunity to study the interaction between the Martian atmosphere and the planet's surface.
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Trace gases may also be detected in the headspace Atmosphere of Mars – which is composed primarily of carbon dioxide but may also contain trace amounts of other gases left over from the planet's formation – and provides valuable information about the size and toxicity of dust particles, allowing scientists to better assess risks for future manned missions to Mars.
“The gas samples will teach Mars scientists a lot,” said NASA geochemist Justin Simon. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the statement said. Simon is part of a group of more than a dozen international experts who help decide which samples the rover should collect.
“Even scientists who don't study Mars will be interested in this, because it will reveal a lot about how planets form and evolve,” Simon said.
The samples are being collected and stored for eventual distribution. Earth As part of a sample return mission to Mars. However, given the cost and complexity of a sample return mission, it will take many years before the samples are opened and analyzed by scientists in laboratories on Earth. That's why NASA Recently invoked Simple and quick approach to bring the samples home. When or if the samples return to Earth, scientists will extract the gas into a cold trap, where it will be condensed into a solid or liquid. A similar process was used to study the air captured in the samples Moon during Apollo 17 Mission,
The Mars samples also hope to give researchers a better understanding of how much water vapor swirls near the Martian surface, and in turn, why ice forms on the planet. Water vapor captured in air samples could also shed light on how much water vapor floats near the Martian surface, and in turn, why ice forms on the planet. The water cycle of Mars has evolved Time,