Mars Mysteries

In ancient times, Chinese astronomers referred to Mars as the 'Fiery Star.' Despite dozens of spacecraft being sent to the planet for research, scientists are still puzzled by some aspects related to the Red Planet.



For several decades, scientists have been wondering what could be the reasons for the difference between the two sides of Mars. The northern hemisphere of the planet is smooth and low – it is one of the smoothest and flattest places in the Solar System. It could potentially have formed due to water that once flowed on the Martian surface.

But the southern half of Mars is uneven and heavily cratered. It is about 4-8 kilometers higher than the northern part. Not long ago, studies were conducted that suggested that such differences between the southern and northern sides of the planet could be related to a giant celestial body that may have fallen on the surface of Mars a long time ago.



Methane is the simplest organic molecule. In 2003, the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft first detected methane molecules in the Martian atmosphere. On Earth, most methane is produced by living organisms, such as cattle digesting food. It is believed that methane is stable in the Martian atmosphere for only 300 years, but who or what could have generated this gas so recently remains a mystery.

However, there are known ways to form methane without the involvement of living organisms, such as volcanic activity. During the European Space Agency's 'ExoMars' program, which is scheduled to begin in 2016, a study of the chemical composition of Mars' atmosphere will be conducted so that scientists can learn more about Martian methane.



A large amount of evidence suggests that there was once liquid water on Mars, whether it exists today remains a mystery. However, the atmospheric pressure on Mars is very low, about 100 times less than the pressure on Earth, therefore it is unlikely that liquid water can be preserved on the surface of the Red Planet. Nevertheless, dark long lines are clearly visible on the planet's surface, suggesting that salty water flows may run along them every spring.



Numerous Mars missions have shown that there is a lot of evidence that water once existed on the planet's surface. More specifically, there were oceans, networks of valleys, river deltas, and minerals that could form water.

However, modern models of the early Martian climate cannot find an explanation for how the planet could have warmed enough to allow liquid water to form, as the Sun heats the planet's surface much less. There is also another hypothesis that some of the characteristic features of the surface may have been formed not by water, but by winds or other mechanisms. Everything points to the fact that ancient Mars was still warm, and there could have been water on its surface, at least on one side. Nevertheless, some scientists are convinced of the opposite: ancient Mars was cold but wet, although this theory continues to be challenged.



The first spacecraft to successfully land on the surface of Mars was NASA's Viking 1. It was the first to attempt to find out if there is life on the Red Planet, but it was unsuccessful, and to this day, there is no answer to this question. Most Mars researchers around the world would give a lot to uncover this age-old mystery. The Viking managed to detect organic molecules such as methyl chloride and dichloromethane. It later turned out that these were earthly contaminants that were part of cleaning fluids used in preparing the spacecraft on Earth.

It has been established that the surface of Mars is quite suitable for life because the appropriate conditions exist: suitable temperature, radiation, increased dryness, and other factors. After all, life appeared on Earth even in harsher conditions, with examples including the extreme north, the dry soils of the Antarctic dry valleys, and the very dry Atacama Desert in Chile.

A pattern has been established where there is liquid water on Earth – life exists everywhere. For this reason, scientists believe that if there is water on Mars, there must necessarily be life there. By uncovering the mystery of whether there is life on Mars, scientists will be able to shed light on a number of other questions that remain unanswered today, for example, whether or not life can arise in other parts of the Universe.



A source of meteorites that were found in Antarctica has been established. They came to our planet from Mars, having broken off due to its collisions with other cosmic objects. These meteorites have structures similar to those created by Earthly microbes. The debate about this is still ongoing, because a certain group of researchers believes that these structures were most likely formed chemically. There is also an opinion that life was brought to Earth from Mars a long time ago, and it could have been transported here by meteorites.



In order to finally shed light on whether or not there is life on Mars, a person could fly there and find out.

Back in 1969, NASA planned to send a man to Mars by 1981. The goal of this expedition also included the establishment of a permanent Martian station by 1988. However, the plans were disrupted because interplanetary travel involving humans turned out to be not such a simple task from both scientific and technical points of view.

For example, insurmountable difficulties included: ensuring a supply of food, water, oxygen, eliminating the harmful effects of microgravity and radiation, reducing the probability of fires to zero, and so on. But most importantly, it was necessary to psychologically prepare a person for the fact that he would be far from Earth and real help for many years. It is also difficult to imagine and even more so to organize: landing, working, living on a foreign planet, and returning back to Earth.

But despite everything, astronauts have long dreamed of such flights. For example, volunteers agreed to live for about a year on a spacecraft. This was the longest simulation of space flights ever developed, aimed at reproducing in Earth conditions what a mission to Mars could be from start to finish.

Today, there are a great many volunteers willing to go to Mars. Perhaps one day such a flight will become an outstanding reality.