Uninhabited habitats on Mars

Details Uninhabited habitats on Mars Uninhabited habitats on Mars

Jan 2012

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012icar..217..184c&link_type=abstract

Icarus, Volume 217, Issue 1, p. 184-193.

Mathematics

Logic

1

Scientific paper

Investigations of Mars as a potential location for life often make the assumption that where there are habitats, they will contain organisms. However, the observation of the ubiquitous distribution of life in habitable environments on the Earth does not imply the presence of life in martian habitats. Although uninhabited habitats are extremely rare on the Earth, a lack of a productive photosynthetic biosphere on Mars to generate organic carbon and oxygen, thus providing a rapidly available redox couple for energy acquisition by life and/or a lack of connectivity between habitats potentially increases the scope and abundance of uninhabited habitats for much of the geological history of the planet. Uninhabited habitats could have existed on Mars from the Noachian to the present-day in impact hydrothermal systems, megaflood systems, lacustrine environments, transient melted permafrost, gullies and local regions of volcanic activity; and there may be evidence for them in martian meteorites. Uninhabited habitats would provide control habitats to investigate the role of biology in planetary-scale geochemical processes on the Earth and they would provide new constraints on the habitability of Mars. Future robotic craft and samples returned from Mars will be able to directly show if uninhabited habitats exist or existed on Mars.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Uninhabited habitats on Mars does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Uninhabited habitats on Mars, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Uninhabited habitats on Mars will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-911216