First Mars Landers Might Have Found Organic Material In 1976, and Destroyed It By Accident
Martian Surface The first image from the surface of Mars, taken by Viking 1 moments after it landed July 20, 1976. NASA The building blocks of life might exist in Martian soil after all, according to a new study. Evidence from the late Phoenix Mars lander suggests its Viking forebears might have found organic compounds on the Red Planet - and destroyed them in the process of looking for them. If this is true, it represents a monumental shift in the way scientists have thought about Mars for the past 30 years. The presence of native Martian organics suggests the planet might not be a dead rock after all. The study came about after the Phoenix lander found perchlorate in the soil at the Martian north pole, where scientists had expected to find chloride salt instead. Perchlorate is an ion of oxygen and chlorine that breaks into highly reactive fragments when it's heated....