Since 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover has repeatedly detected methane on Mars, particularly near its landing site inside Gale Crater, a vast basin 154 kilometers wide. This discovery, while intriguing, also raises many questions, due to the erratic behavior of gas on the Red Planet.
The phenomenon of methane on Mars is truly enigmatic. The gas occurs predominantly at night, displaying seasonal fluctuations and unexpected increases of up to 40 times the usual levels. Furthermore, despite these sporadic concentrations, methane is not present in significant quantities in the Martian atmosphere and has not been detected elsewhere on the surface of Mars.
Recently, a group of NASA researchers, led by planetary scientist Alexander Pavlov, shed some light on this mystery. The NASA team suggests that Martian methane may be trapped under a crust of solidified salt in the Gale Crater regolith. This regolith, heated during the day, could loosen the salt crust, releasing methane at night. Interestingly, the weight of the Curiosity rover moving through the crust could cause cracks through which the methane is suddenly released.
Planet Mars: NASA's discoveries that intrigued researchers from all over the world
These theories were tested by NASA researchers at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, using simulated Martian regolith, perchlorated by salt—common on Mars—and neon as an analog for methane. The results of the experiments confirm that a salt crust can form and trap methane under it under certain conditions.
Despite these findings, it remains uncertain why methane forms on Mars. On Earth, this gas is mostly produced by living organisms, but so far we have found no clear evidence of life on Mars. However, methane can also be generated by geological processes, without the involvement of life.
Ashwin Vasavada, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the complexity of the situation: "It's a story with many twists and turns. Some of the methane research will have to be taken over by future Mars missions, which will be better equipped to answer these specific questions."
This research, published on March 9, 2024 in the Journal of Geophysical Research, opens new perspectives in understanding phenomena on Mars, highlighting the crucial role of technology and innovation in NASA's space exploration. The planet Mars continues to be a fascinating subject of study, offering limitless possibilities for discovery in future NASA missions.
