Phoenix ready to "bake and sniff" soil samples on Mars

William Atkins
Saturday, 07 June 2008 20:36

Science - Space

Phoenix scientists are confident that water (made up of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen) will be found on minerals, such as clays or carbonates. When heated, the water will be released from the minerals. The speed at which the water is taken off will depend on the type of mineral it is bound to within the sample.

Such differences will help scientists determine the type of materials being accessed.

Smith says, "The first step is to dry water out of the sample and find out what percentage of water there is. The test should tell very quickly." [AFP]

He adds, "I would guess by the end of next week we will be in a pretty good position to tell you our first assessment of this soil, and if we are lucky enough to get some white material in there, to figure out what it is too.” [AFP]

Smith is unsure what is the composition of the white crusty material. He thinks it could be salt and, less likely, ice.

He states, “We suspect that actual ice is going to be very hard to dig a chunk. I can agree this probably is not ice, but I can't say that for certain." [AFP]

Smith states, “We are particularly interested in minerals that are formed or altered by the action of liquid water in the soil" [UA-LPL]

The Lander’s Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) took three images (one color, two black-and-white) of the site. They are found on the University of Arizona—Lunar and Planetary Laboratory’s website.

Over the next several days, the Phoenix will collect other samples of Martian soil. Some will be analyzed with the Lander’s optical microscope while others will be analyzed chemically.
 

The scientists hope to find organic compounds. They are looking for carbon—often found in combination with hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen—because it is one of the few elements known that is able to build complex molecules necessary for living organisms.