New Mars data gives life clue

New data showing that patterns of water and methane in Mars' atmosphere overlap may have important implications for the idea that the planet could harbour life.

If microbes are making methane seen in Mars' atmosphere, they would rely on water, so the association between the two has excited some researchers.

But other scientists have pointed out that this overlap could just as easily be explained by alternative processes.

It appears that scientists have discovered there are current emissions of methane gas from the surface of the Mars. This is a major announcement since it points to the very likely chance that simply lifeforms may still be living on that planet underneath the surface in the Martian soil, living off the water and nutrient material in the soil.

This could point the way for a pretty substantial biological science experiment package on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory lander/rover that arrives on Mars in 2010. Unlike the Mars Exploration Rovers, MSL's far larger size (about the size of a Honda Civic sedan!) will sport a radiothermal isotope generator (RTG) battery, allowing MSL to operate for one Martian year (687 Earth days) and also have enough space on the lander to accommodate a bioscience lab far more advanced than the ones found on the Viking landers and possibly even include a drill that could take soil sample as much as 100 cm (39 inches) below the Martian surface, which increases the chance of finding lifeforms living on the planet. Sounds like a plan!

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