[Rockhounds] Perchlorate found in Martian soil

[J Bryan Kramer]

I think the issue is a little more complicated. One analyzer, the wet
chemistry analyzer (MECA) detected perchlorate, but the TEGA analyzer did
not. So maybe it is there and maybe not.

<http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001592/>

BTW if you are interested in behind the scenes info on these planetary
missions that blog is an excellent source of information.

BK

On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 12:04 AM, Kreigh Tomaszewski
<Kreigh at tomaszewski.net>wrote:

> New soil chemistry tests by NASA's Phoenix Mars lander have unexpectedly
> uncovered evidence of perchlorate, a highly reactive salt found naturally on
> Earth and used in a variety of products, including fertilizer, fireworks and
> rocket fuel, scientists said Tuesday.
>
>  The finding has surprised scientists evaluating results from Phoenix, but
> they denied that the presence of large amounts of the salt would render Mars
> uninhabitable.
>
> "It might even be a positive" indicator for habitability, said Peter Smith,
> principal investigator on the Phoenix mission.
>
>  On Earth, perchlorate is found most abundantly in the surface soils of
> Chile's Atacama Desert, which coincidentally has long served as a Martian
> stand-in for researchers trying to understand conditions on the Red Planet.
>
> See...
>
>        http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-phoenix6-
> 2008aug06,0,4986721.story
>
> ...for the rest of the story (long url may wrap).
>
> I note that Science Fiction writers (Clark, Baxter, etc) have predicted
> perchlorates in martian soils.
>
> Chlorine makes fun minerals.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Kreigh
>
>
> P.S., I'm leaving MI for a week's vacation to Denver (to visit my oldest
> daughter) Friday morning, including a day collecting trip with a list
> member. I hope my mailbox doesn't fill up with spam before I get back; I'll
> probably catch you later.
>
>
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-- 
--

"The thunderbolt falls on an inch of ground; but the light of it fills the
horizon."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

J Bryan Kramer
North Florida, USA
photos at:
http://pbase.com/photoburner


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