Constraining the source of chlorinated hydrocarbons detected on Mars with the SAM experiment onboard Curiosity
Abstract
Organic molecules have been at the origin of the prebiotic chemistry that led to the emergence of life on Earth. Therefore, they are one of the key ingredients required to assess the habitability in environments of the solar system. On Mars, no endogenous organics were found until very recently (1) whereas they are expected to be present in the soil, either because they were kept safe in rocks since the early history of the planet, or because they are still brought to the Mars surface by exogenous sources. Because of their importance for astrobiology, efforts are still ongoing to search for these species in the Gale crater by the Curiosity rover, and especially the SAM experiment on its board.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress
- Pub Date:
- October 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015EPSC...10..352B