NASA Identifies Atomic Oxygen In Mars' Atmosphere
Atomic oxygen in Mars' upper atmosphere has been located by a special NASA 747 plane for the first time in 40 years. The measurements were collected by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) with the help of a special instrument to identify that Mars' upper atmosphere, or the mesosphere has atomic oxygen. However, it would be only half of the expected amount.
"Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure," said Pamela Marcum, a project scientist with SOFIA. "To observe the far-infrared wavelengths needed to detect atomic oxygen, researchers must be above the majority of Earth's atmosphere and use highly sensitive instruments, in this case a spectrometer. SOFIA provides both capabilities."
Atomic energy impacts escape of other gases from Mars and influences the atmosphere. As the oxygen count is very low, it suggests variations in the atmosphere. Scientists will harness SOFIA to locate and study these variations so that they can understand the atmosphere better.
The Viking and Mariner missions of the 1970s examined the atmosphere of the Red Planet last, but the new observations were made from an altitude of between 37,000 and 45,000 feet above most of the moisture in the earth's atmosphere blocking infrared light and enabling accurate measurements.
Even though the information had been published in 2015, the recent discussion was sparked by the use of rocks on Mars that identified that the planet had earlier been rich in oxygen.
"We found 3 per cent of rocks have high manganese oxide content," said Agnès Cousin of the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France. "That requires abundant water and strongly oxidizing conditions, so the atmosphere may have contained much more oxygen than we thought."
Currently, Mars' atmosphere is composed of almost 95 percent carbon dioxide, with just a few traces of oxygen.
The findings were published in 2015 in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
