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| Curiosity’s Wheels: This photo was taken on March 19, 2017, by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera on the arm of NASA's Curiosity rover. The image helped mission team members inspect the condition of Curiosity’s six wheels. [Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.] |
Recently, scientists have heard Alien Burp on Mars and evidence for this has been gathered by NASA's Curiosity rover. Now it is being investigated what is this burp-like sound and what is its source? Where is this coming from? Because the Curiosity rover has recorded a belching sound 6 times since it landed on Mars. But there doesn't seem to be anything making noise around. This incident is also surprising for NASA scientists.
NASA's Curiosity Rover landed on Mars in the year 2012. Its landing was done in the Gale Crater. Since then, it has recorded a sound like burp 6 times. This sound is being recorded in the Curiosity rover's detection system. But where is this belching sound coming from, scientists are not aware of this.
According to scientists from the California Institute of Technology (CIT), this is the sound of methane gas bubbles bursting but its source is not known. To understand this, the scientists of CIT made a model in which they tried to explain that if the particles of methane gas are different, then they form different packets. That's why scientists are studying the wind speed and direction on Mars, as well as estimating the possible distance of the sound, so that it can be known how far from the Curiosity rover and from which direction this alien burrow (Alien) Burp) is coming.
However, it will be difficult to find the Alien Burp precisely because according to the CIT model, some burp-like sounds can be several kilometers away. So it is not possible to go there and investigate them, as the rover has a top speed on flat, hard ground of 4.2-centimeters per second, or 152 meters per hour. This is a little less than 0.1-miles per hour ( or 0.17 Km/hour).
Scientists from CIT said that data of active emission of methane has been found in the southwest and north-west areas of Gale Crater. It may be that sounds like Alien Burp are coming from here. It may be just a coincidence but it cannot be let go without investigation. Because the Curiosity rover landed in an area of Gale Crater, around which there are active areas with methane emissions.
For scientists, the presence of methane gas on Mars is quite surprising. Because the emission of methane gas on earth is done by biological process. That is, by living beings. Therefore, the bursting of bubbles of methane gas or the arrival of such alien burps on Mars suggests that there is a possibility of life here.
If methane is not being produced by biological process, that is, it is also some geological activity. Because of which life can flourish. Because the presence of methane gas is an important evidence about the presence of liquid water.
The Curiosity Rover has an instrument named Tunable Laser Spectrometer. This is the instrument that is listening to the Alien Burp and recording it. Meaning it is continuously recording the presence of methane gas. This is a sensitive device that if a pinch of salt falls in the Olympic swimming pool, it will detect it.
Earlier, an attempt was made to study the presence of methane gas on Mars from the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of the European Space Agency (ESA). But this attempt was unsuccessful. However, the level of methane gas in the atmosphere of Mars keeps on fluctuating. But TGO could not catch it. But the Curiosity rover is present only near the place where the methane gas is produced.
NASA scientists say that they do not yet know where methane gas is being produced. Maybe life exists here in the form of tiny microbes. Because the life of methane gas is 330 years, it can be detected only during this time. After this it ends due to sunlight. This means that wherever the methane is being generated, that source is still active.
Now the first priority of NASA scientists is that they can find the source of producing methane gas on Mars. This study by NASA scientists has been published on the pre-print server But it has not been peer reviewed yet.
However, it will be difficult to find the Alien Burp precisely because according to the CIT model, some burp-like sounds can be several kilometers away. So it is not possible to go there and investigate them, as the rover has a top speed on flat, hard ground of 4.2-centimeters per second, or 152 meters per hour. This is a little less than 0.1-miles per hour ( or 0.17 Km/hour).
Scientists from CIT said that data of active emission of methane has been found in the southwest and north-west areas of Gale Crater. It may be that sounds like Alien Burp are coming from here. It may be just a coincidence but it cannot be let go without investigation. Because the Curiosity rover landed in an area of Gale Crater, around which there are active areas with methane emissions.
For scientists, the presence of methane gas on Mars is quite surprising. Because the emission of methane gas on earth is done by biological process. That is, by living beings. Therefore, the bursting of bubbles of methane gas or the arrival of such alien burps on Mars suggests that there is a possibility of life here.
If methane is not being produced by biological process, that is, it is also some geological activity. Because of which life can flourish. Because the presence of methane gas is an important evidence about the presence of liquid water.
The Curiosity Rover has an instrument named Tunable Laser Spectrometer. This is the instrument that is listening to the Alien Burp and recording it. Meaning it is continuously recording the presence of methane gas. This is a sensitive device that if a pinch of salt falls in the Olympic swimming pool, it will detect it.
Earlier, an attempt was made to study the presence of methane gas on Mars from the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of the European Space Agency (ESA). But this attempt was unsuccessful. However, the level of methane gas in the atmosphere of Mars keeps on fluctuating. But TGO could not catch it. But the Curiosity rover is present only near the place where the methane gas is produced.
NASA scientists say that they do not yet know where methane gas is being produced. Maybe life exists here in the form of tiny microbes. Because the life of methane gas is 330 years, it can be detected only during this time. After this it ends due to sunlight. This means that wherever the methane is being generated, that source is still active.
Now the first priority of NASA scientists is that they can find the source of producing methane gas on Mars. This study by NASA scientists has been published on the pre-print server But it has not been peer reviewed yet.
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