NASA’s rover finds previously unidentified organic compounds in dust on Mars

Using a new technology, NASA’s Curiosity rover was able to detect traces of biological molecules on Mars.

None of the biological molecules found in the dust on Mars contain the indisputable signs of life, but they suggest that new technology that does not require drilling, carbon-based molecules, is an effective tool for finding basic evidence for the existence of life. As we know., To explain o Science Alert.

The results of this experiment were as follows Published In the scientific journal Nature.

The “wet laboratory” experience came at the end of 2016 when Curiosity crashed into a relief while searching for signs of life on the Red Planet.

As the rover was preparing to test the rock of Mars at the base of Mount Sharp, its drill abruptly stopped working. However, instead of interrupting the mission until the problem is resolved, NASA researchers, They changed their strategy.

The media reported that some dust had already been collected from the Mars beach in Oganquit, so it was soon presented to Curiosity’s “Wet Chemistry Laboratory”.

Organic compounds Inside the rock Mars is very difficult to detect, and when heated they decompose into simple molecules.

However, if these organic components react with other chemicals, they are more likely to be analyzed without breaking down the gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer.

The NASA team did not expect the dust from Organquit to be rich in organic matter. Many of these compounds have not been previously identified on Mars.

The space agency plans to implement A mission By 2030, it aims to collect the remaining Curiosity samples so that they can be more carefully analyzed in our planet’s laboratories.