Mars Orbiter (which marked 15 years of achievements a couple of years ago) soaring high above Mars.
After collecting the data from the Mars Orbiter, researchers employed a method to examine the light bouncing off the surface of the planet. This method, known as spectroscopy, allows us to determine the chemical composition of minerals from a distance. It is one of the techniques utilized to predict the composition of distant planets. Once they obtained the findings, the researchers discovered they were encountering something unprecedented: ferric hydroxysulfate, a mineral previously unrecorded on Mars. So, why is this significant? This specific mineral forms when water, iron, and sulfur are present. All these components imply that Mars may have once had the suitable conditions for chemical reactions akin to those during Earth’s formative period. This suggests that Mars might have once been capable of supporting life.
The identification of ferric hydroxysulfate (Fe3+SO4OH) on Mars was the culmination of many years of meticulous investigation spearheaded by Dr. Janice Bishop and her team at the SETI Institute. Their research concentrated on scrutinizing a complex and geologically diverse region of the planet, known as the Valles Marineris, a system of canyons and valleys situated close to the Martian equator. The group employed an instrument referred to as CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars), which assesses how sunlight is reflected from the planet’s surface.
While analyzing the data obtained from CRISM, the researchers observed distinct light signatures in two specific areas of the canyon system: the Juventae Chasma and Aram
