So there are chlorinated organic molecules on Mars it seems?? Or is there? Wait.... uh.. well, probably not actually.
From the reports, it seems that dicholoro- and trichloro- methane was detected, which would certainly be interesting if it was Martian in origin. It is quite likely though, that the carbon from these molecules hitched a ride all the way from earth and got fired up in the SAM detector, where it reacted with the chlorine. The chlorine however is apparently martian in origin (isotope ratios?) and most likely resembling something like Mg-perchlorate hexahydrate which was detected by the pheonix lander in 2008.
While these are a relatively simple compounds, it isn't exactly what you would expect to find if there was remains of ancient life or even active biota in Martian soil. That is ofcourse assuming that said life bore any resemblance to earth life. Not to say that life on earth doesn't do some very wierd things from time to time but chlorinated methyl compounds like that would decompose into hydrogen chloride fairly quickly.
Either way... we certainly didn't put organic molecules on Mercury, that's for sure.
Strange times indeed...
From the reports, it seems that dicholoro- and trichloro- methane was detected, which would certainly be interesting if it was Martian in origin. It is quite likely though, that the carbon from these molecules hitched a ride all the way from earth and got fired up in the SAM detector, where it reacted with the chlorine. The chlorine however is apparently martian in origin (isotope ratios?) and most likely resembling something like Mg-perchlorate hexahydrate which was detected by the pheonix lander in 2008.
While these are a relatively simple compounds, it isn't exactly what you would expect to find if there was remains of ancient life or even active biota in Martian soil. That is ofcourse assuming that said life bore any resemblance to earth life. Not to say that life on earth doesn't do some very wierd things from time to time but chlorinated methyl compounds like that would decompose into hydrogen chloride fairly quickly.
Either way... we certainly didn't put organic molecules on Mercury, that's for sure.
Strange times indeed...
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