[X] My Assistant

[dvandorn]

We all know that the most common theories to explain the Viking wet chemistry results depend on a high peroxide content in the soils, both in the mid-latitudes (Chryse) and northern latitudes (Utopia).

As I understand it, Phoenix will be able to identify peroxides in the soil and directly test this keystone to the current interpretation of the Viking results.

So... what happens if we find little to no peroxide content in these soils?

Do we just assume that these soils are fundamentally different from the Viking soils? If so, what model predicts this?

Or do we actually begin to re-evaluate the Viking results?

What do y'all think?

-the other Doug

[tasp]

Tough call there.

My recollection is there is an abundant energy source on Mars to explain the formation of the peroxides (the high solar UV flux), the lack of organic compounds found in the soil is explained (all the carbon compounds get zapped into CO2 by the peroxides) and the interaction with the water used by Viking mimicked a chemical reaction rate that was limited by the postulated peroxide reactants, rather than by a possibly bio reaction that might have had a different rate due to 'growth' of the presumed organisms.

We have been thinking about peroxides for quite a while because their existence does a pretty good job of 'splainin what Viking found.

No peroxides would imply something even more exotic, interesting, and perhaps (bwa, ha, ha, ha) alien.