Mars' Surface Appears to Be Covered in Potential Rocket Fuel, MIT Finds
Extremely convenient.
Prevailing theories suggest that Mars was once covered in a major liquid water system of oceans, rivers, and lakes, which presupposes a thick atmosphere that could maintain temperatures at which liquid water could exist.
But 3.5 billion years later, its barren surface leaves only hints of its once lush history behind, leading scientists to wonder what exactly happened to this atmosphere.
As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Science Advances, the vast majority of the planet's atmosphere just might be trapped in sedimentary rocks lining the Red Planet's surface.
According to their calculations, roughly 80 percent of the carbon dioxide of Mars' ancient atmosphere could be trapped inside carbon-based organic compounds.
Excitingly, the scientists suggest this carbon could be extracted and turned into rocket fuel, facilitating future trips to and from the distant planet.
"Based on our findings on Earth, we show that similar processes likely operated on Mars, and that copious amounts of atmospheric CO2 could have transformed to methane and been sequestered in clays," said author and MIT geology professor Oliver Jagoutz in a statement. "This methane could still be present and maybe even used as an energy source on Mars in the future."
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