Mars Express discovers ammonia in Martian atmosphere
Posted: 15.07.2004, 20:05
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3896335.stm
ESA is expected to release more details about their findings in a conference next week in Paris.
The interesting thing about ammonia is that it can't exist in Mars' atmosphere for very long unless it's constantly reproduced. Scientists think only active volcanoes or life can create these amounts of ammonia in the atomsphere, and no active volcanoes on Mars are known. Methane is another gas that has been discovered in its atmosphere, and that one can also have a biological origin.
ESA is expected to release more details about their findings in a conference next week in Paris.
The interesting thing about ammonia is that it can't exist in Mars' atmosphere for very long unless it's constantly reproduced. Scientists think only active volcanoes or life can create these amounts of ammonia in the atomsphere, and no active volcanoes on Mars are known. Methane is another gas that has been discovered in its atmosphere, and that one can also have a biological origin.