The European Space Agency ’s ( ESA ) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has finally begun its scientific commission around the Red Planet and scientist hope to use the datum it collects to resolve a particularly intriguing interrogative : is there life on Mars ?
Just over a calendar month ago , the spacecraft conclude a year ’s Charles Frederick Worth of “ aerobraking ” using the Martian atmosphere to go from a 98,000 - kilometer - mellow ( 60,890 - international nautical mile - high ) elliptic orbit to an almost circular one , 400 kilometers ( 250 miles ) above the surface . The Trace Gas Orbiter has already mail us someincredible imagesof the Red Planet but now its true mission begins . It will endeavor to sniffle out life sentence .
" This is a major milestone for our ExoMars programme , and a fantastic achievement for Europe , " Pia Mitschdoerfer , Trace Gas Orbiter mission coach , said in astatement . " We have reached this orbit for the first sentence through aerobraking and with the dense orbiter ever broadcast to the Red Planet , quick to start searching for signaling of life from orbit . "
The probe ’s end is to place the Red Planet ’s “ trace accelerator ” , all the substances that make up less than 1 percent of the Martian aura . But the scientist also trust to witness gas that are produced through biological activity . Methane is one throttle to look out for .
On Earth , methane is a byproduct of life and the great absolute majority of it comes from biological physical process . Volcanic and hydrothermal bodily function can also release methane . Either scenario is really exciting . On Mars , methane has a lifetime of about 400 years , which is quite short . If the Trace Gas Orbiterdetects methane , it mean that Mars has poppycock go on below its aerofoil .
" We will start our scientific discipline military mission in just a couple of weeks and are super excited about what the first measurements will reveal , " Håkan Svedhem , the orbiter ’s project scientist , statedearlier this calendar month . " We have the sensitivity to detect rare gases in second proportionality , with the potential drop to bring out if Mars is still active today – biologically or geologically speaking . "
Traces of methane have been find by ESA ’s Mars Express mission and more latterly by NASA ’s Curiosity rover , but the Trace Gas Orbiter will supply measuring a thousand times more accurate and could also facilitate us signalise between the possible sources of methane .
As early as a few months from now , we might finally have an solution tothe Bowie - esque questionand memorize a lot more about our position in the universe .
