News

ORGANIC MATTER ON MARS

ORGANIC MATTER ON MARS

Why in News?

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Perseverance rover has uncovered evidence of organic compounds in a Martian crater.

What are Organic Compounds?

• Organic compounds are molecules that primarily contain carbon and hydrogen, and often other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur.
• They are the key building blocks of life on Earth, as they form the basis of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids and other biomolecules.
• They can also be produced by non-biological processes, such as volcanic activity, meteorite impacts, lightning strikes and cosmic radiation.

What are the Major Findings Related to Presence of Organic Matter in Mars?

• Earlier missions had already identified organic chemicals with Martian origin in meteorites and the Gale Crater.
• Only the Mars Phoenix lander and the Curiosity rover had previously detected organic carbon on Mars using advanced techniques such as evolved gas analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
• The latest research through Perseverance Rover introduces a novel instrument, the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument, which helps locate basic chemical compounds on Mars.
• It reveals that Mars possesses a more intricate organic geochemical cycle.
• Multiple reservoirs of potential organic molecules are suggested to exist on the planet, expanding the possibilities for habitability.
• The study also found molecules associated with aqueous processes, indicating that water may have played a significant role in Mars's range of organic matter.
• The extended presence of key building blocks necessary for life implies that Mars may have been habitable for longer periods than previously assumed.

What is the Perseverance Rover?

• Perseverance is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.
• It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020.
• It landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, after a seven-month journey.
• Power Source: A Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) which converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium (Plutonium Dioxide) into electricity.

Major Objectives:

• Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and soil for possible return to Earth.
• Study the geology and climate of Mars and how they have changed over time.
• Demonstrate technologies that could enable future human exploration of Mars, such as producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere and testing a miniature helicopter.