Webster, Christopher R and Mahaffy, Paul R and Atreya, Sushil K and Flesch, Gregory J and Farley, Kenneth A and the MSL Science Team and DLR Collaborator, Reitz G (2013) Low upper limit to methane abundance on Mars. Science, 342 (6156), pp. 355-357. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). doi: 10.1126/science.1242902. ISSN 0036-8075.
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Abstract
By analogy with Earth, methane in the Martian atmosphere is a potential signature of ongoing or past biological activity. During the past decade, Earth-based telescopic observations reported "plumes" of methane of tens of parts per billion by volume (ppbv), and those from Mars orbit showed localized patches, prompting speculation of sources from subsurface bacteria or nonbiological sources. From in situ measurements made with the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) on Curiosity using a distinctive spectral pattern specific to methane, we report no detection of atmospheric methane with a measured value of 0.18 ± 0.67 ppbv corresponding to an upper limit of only 1.3 ppbv (95% confidence level), which reduces the probability of current methanogenic microbial activity on Mars and limits the recent contribution from extraplanetary and geologic sources.
Item URL in elib: | https://elib.dlr.de/87354/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Document Type: | Article | |||||||||||||||||||||
Title: | Low upper limit to methane abundance on Mars. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Authors: |
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Date: | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Science | |||||||||||||||||||||
Refereed publication: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
Open Access: | No | |||||||||||||||||||||
Gold Open Access: | No | |||||||||||||||||||||
In SCOPUS: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
Volume: | 342 | |||||||||||||||||||||
DOI : | 10.1126/science.1242902 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 355-357 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | |||||||||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 0036-8075 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Published | |||||||||||||||||||||
Keywords: | Mars, MSL, Curiosity rover, methane abundance on Mars | |||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | |||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program: | Space | |||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program Themes: | Space Exploration | |||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research area: | Raumfahrt | |||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Program: | R EW - Space Exploration | |||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research theme (Project): | R - Vorhaben MSL-Radiation (old) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location: | Köln-Porz | |||||||||||||||||||||
Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Aerospace Medicine > Radiation Biology | |||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Kopp, Kerstin | |||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 23 Jan 2014 10:01 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 08 Mar 2018 18:51 |
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