Mars’ Missing Atmosphere: New Study Insights

Why in the news?

A recent MIT study reveals how water and Martian rocks interacted to reduce the atmosphere, providing clues about Mars’ environmental evolution and potential future resource utilisation.

About Mars’ Historical Atmosphere:

  • Mars, now a cold and barren desert, once had flowing water on its surface, indicating a thick atmosphere that prevented water from freezing.
  • Approximately5 billion years ago, the atmosphere, rich in carbon dioxide, thinned dramatically, leading to the drying up of water.
  • Understanding this transition is crucial for scientists studying Mars’ history.

New Research Findings

  • A study published in Science Advances on September 24 by MIT geologists Joshua Murray and Oliver Jagoutz offers insights into this atmospheric loss.
  • The researchers propose that water interacted with olivine, a common Martian rock, triggering a slow chain reaction that removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converted it into methane.

Mars' Missing Atmosphere: New Study Insights

Key points :Mars

  • Position: Fourth planet from the Sun and second-smallest in the solar system.
  • Appearance: Soil contains iron oxide, giving it a reddish hue (hence, Red Planet).
  • Surface Features: Covered with craters, valleys, volcanoes, and canyons.
  • Atmosphere: Very thin, primarily carbon dioxide; lacks a magnetic field, exposing the surface to high radiation levels.
  • Notable Landmark: Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system.
  • Water Presence: Evidence suggests liquid water may have existed; ice caps are present at the poles.
  • Moons: Two small, irregularly shaped moons—Phobos and Deimos—likely captured asteroids.

InSight Mission:

  • Launch: Robotic lander launched by NASA in 2018.
  • Purpose: To study Mars’ seismic activity, core, and crust for evolutionary insights.
  • Key Instruments:
    • Seismometer for detecting Marsquakes.
    • Heat flow probe for measuring internal heat.
  • Findings: Evidence of a liquid magma ocean in Mars’ past, indicating a dynamic geological history.

Other Significant Mars Missions:

  • Viking 1 & 2: First successful landers searching for signs of life.
  • Mars Pathfinder: Deployed the first rover, Sojourner, on Mars.
  • Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity studied geology and past water evidence.
  • MAVEN: Ongoing orbiter studying atmospheric changes.
  • ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter: Ongoing study of atmosphere and potential life signs.
  • Perseverance Rover: Collecting rock samples for return to Earth.
  • Mangalyaan (2013-2022): India’s first interplanetary mission, studying ionosphere and atmospheric composition; exceeded its expected mission life.

NASA Missions:

  • Lander: InSight (studies seismic activity)
  • Rovers: Curiosity (geological studies) and Perseverance (collecting rock samples)
  • Orbiters: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, MAVEN (atmospheric studies)
  • Tianwen-1 (2021): China’s Mars mission, including an orbiter and rover.
  • Hope Mars Mission (2021): UAE’s first interplanetary mission.
  • Mars 2 and Mars 3 (1971): Soviet Union missions, first to reach Mars’ surface.

Associated Article:

https://universalinstitutions.com/here-comes-the-sun/