boing boing reports - On Mars, NASA Rover Discovers Mysterious Methane Emissions
Potentially big news from space today. NASA announces that its Mars Curiosity rover "has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by the robotic laboratory’s drill."
Original papers at NASA
"This temporary increase in methane -- sharply up and then back down -- tells us there must be some relatively localized source," said Sushil Atreya of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Curiosity rover science team. "There are many possible sources, biological or non-biological, such as interaction of water and rock."
Related Stories
Mars methane surge spotted from space
A European spacecraft has confirmed a report of methane being released from the surface of Mars.
The methane spike was first measured by Nasa's Curiosity rover on the surface; now it has been confirmed by the Mars Express orbiter.
The nature and extent of methane in the Martian atmosphere is intensely debated.
The gas is of interest because terrestrial methane can be made by life forms, as well as geological processes.
Methane is only supposed to have a very short lifetime in the Martian atmosphere, so detecting it there means it must have been released very recently.
Also at NYT.
Previously: NASA Rover Discovers Mysterious Martian Methane Emissions
Remember the Discovery of Methane in the Martian Atmosphere? Now Scientists Can't Find Any Evidence
Related: Organic Matter Found on Mars
(Score: 4, Funny) by cmn32480 on Wednesday December 17 2014, @05:30PM
Mars farted?
"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
(Score: 4, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday December 17 2014, @05:42PM
No, Curiosity has a leak. He who smelt it dealt it.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 4, Informative) by VLM on Wednesday December 17 2014, @05:58PM
I was motivated to click thru a zillion journalist links to the actual paper, and then cross checked with some hydrogen sulfide training materials and IF all the methane was hydrogen sulfide you'd totally be able to smell it (if it was added to an existing breathable atmosphere).
Pure methane, even the impure stuff in natural gas, is quite odorless, unfortunately, so they add stinky stuff to natgas lines to stop people from blowing up around natgas leaks.
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Wednesday December 17 2014, @06:08PM
That would be the scientifically amazing case, yes, since farts are the waste products of bacteria working anaerobically.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday December 17 2014, @06:47PM
Honey, I'm blaming Mars.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 17 2014, @09:18PM
...never managed to complete his epic masterpiece, "The Barking Spiders of Mars".
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday December 17 2014, @07:20PM
My understanding from the announcement was that the processes we know of on Earth that produce methane either involve life or the presence of water. Either one would be huge news, yes?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by gman003 on Wednesday December 17 2014, @08:13PM
Methane's a pretty simple chemical, I'd be quite surprised if there was not a natural, inorganic, waterless reaction that produces it. It's still news, just not big news.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 17 2014, @08:47PM
Methane is present in interstellar clouds [wikipedia.org]. Just like OP's mom, it gets around.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by moondrake on Wednesday December 17 2014, @09:30PM
The Sun"s UV radiation can produce methane from all kind of dust (mini meteors and such, as long as they contain carbon) that "rains" down on planets.
The weird thing about the methane on mars are the sudden spikes that seem far to big to be explained by the above.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday December 18 2014, @12:25AM
Although Mars did receive a boat load of dust when Siding Spring went by.
According to this Space.com [space.com] page there are 200 impacters per yer landing on mars.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 18 2014, @11:56AM
Vlad farted.