Five Reasons You Should Pay Attention to NASA's Mission to Mars
|Concentration of methane found on Mars| Several research groups
over the past six years have reported finding methane in the
atmosphere on Mars. In Earth, about 98 percent of the
atmospheric methane comes from biological sources such as humans
and cows. "To put it humorously," Veto says, "The estimation is
there are two cows on Mars gauging by the methane production."
Because methane has a short half-life (breaks down quickly once
released into the air), scientists want to find the source of
the gas on the planet. Even if the methane on Mars comes from a
non-biological source, the presence of the gas indicates the
planet is definitely still alive -- at least in a geological
sense. 2. The Gale Crater: an anomaly Gale Crater on Mars NASA
Veto remembers during his first class at Arizona State, when
scientists were still debating the ideal landing spot for the
Curiosity rover. He says, they probably chose the Gale Crater
because of its uniqueness wi