Discovery of Novel Organic Molecules by Curiosity

Nearly ten years have passed on Mars, and the Curiosity rover is still not surprised. A study published in Natural astronomy 1^{There is} November reports the results of analyzes carried out on samples taken by Rover in 2017. During the sampling process, the rocks of Mars will be stored in a container containing the liquid for carrying out experiments labeled in English. Wet test (I.e.: “wet test”). It was possible to observe the presence of organic molecules in the induced chemical reaction samples.

Two new types of organic molecules

Curiosity came to Gale Greater in August 2012, nine years before diligence and Jurong, immediately landed in search of traces of a past life. Through chemistry, physics and geological research, the rover’s mission is to detect these biological signatures. In 2018, Sedimentary rocks taken from the abyss were stored in the tool Sample analysis on Mars (SAM) for analyzing their compounds. Some rocks contain many molecules such as carbon, sulfide, benzene or theophylline. This discovery later aroused the interest of the scientific community, pointing to possible survival signatures.

In 2017, Curiosity experienced a breakdown during a sand sampling operation in the Bagnold dunes. So the engineers deliberately placed the samples in tubes containing a liquid agent called N-methyl-N- (trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamid, the latter allowing for chemical analysis when mixed with other chemical components. NASA researchers have no biological signature, but the discovery of ammonia and benzoic acid. This …

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