MSL - SAM and CHEMIN, Discussion of the science/results from these instruments |
MSL - SAM and CHEMIN, Discussion of the science/results from these instruments |
Nov 21 2012, 11:46 AM
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#16
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
ADMIN NOTE: Hi All, a new topic for the discussion of the science from the SAM and Chemin instruments.
There has been a very important amendment to Rule 1.3 which is explained here. Please remember Rule 1.3 at all times when discussing matters in this section. |
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Mar 14 2013, 06:08 AM
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#17
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2228 Joined: 1-December 04 From: Marble Falls, Texas, USA Member No.: 116 |
Hm, never heard that one before. Here on Earth 96%-98% of biomass is CHON. Very interesting. Thanks for those fascinating numbers. Might they be talking about the composition of primitive or single-celled organisms (as we know them on earth), rather than more evolved creatures able to build skeletons and such?It is so cool to finally get this kind of chemistry from Mars. It is also beginning to sound to me as if carbonates are the more likely source of the evolved CO2. The discovery of carbonates by a rover would be pretty significant in it's own right. Since the leaked reagent quantity is being estimated in nano-moles, it's doubtful that it could be the source of a significant CO2 signature, right? I'll be looking forward to more news from the analytical devices on this amazingly capable rover. Regarding the isotopic analytical abilities, is this roving laboratory able to see the individual carbon and oxygen isotopes of CO2, or must that be inferred from the masses of molecular chunks delivered to the mass spectromer? -------------------- ...Tom
I'm not a Space Fan, I'm a Space Exploration Enthusiast. |
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Mar 14 2013, 08:18 PM
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#18
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 94 Joined: 11-August 12 Member No.: 6536 |
Since the leaked reagent quantity is being estimated in nano-moles, it's doubtful that it could be the source of a significant CO2 signature, right? . . Regarding the isotopic analytical abilities, is this roving laboratory able to see the individual carbon and oxygen isotopes of CO2, or must that be inferred from the masses of molecular chunks delivered to the mass spectromer? In the paper I linked, they definitely claim that the estimated size of the leak is far too small to account for the amount of CO2 produced. There is also too much CO2 for meteoritic organics to be the source. The best instrument for isotopic studies of H2O, CO2 and CH4 is the tunable laser spectrometer, which is a part of SAM. This uses light absorbtion in a gas cell to measure isotope ratios. All the individual C, H and O isotopes can be measured. TLS only samples a fraction of the gas evolved on each run, so at Rocknest they did multiple SAM runs to get full coverage. @MrNatural : When organics burn they often produce partial combustion products like carbon monoxide, and I haven't seen any mention of that. |
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