Facts
Why It Is OpenThe Viking landers' Labeled Release experiment produced results initially read as consistent with biological metabolism, but most scientists later concluded the same results were more likely caused by non-biological, highly oxidizing chemical reactions in the Martian soil. No follow-up mission has definitively settled which explanation is correct. 1 What Would Resolve ThisA mission capable of directly detecting biological molecules or organisms in Martian soil, rather than inferring metabolism indirectly from gas-exchange chemistry, or a complete explanation of the Labeled Release results from soil chemistry alone that leaves no ambiguity. 1 Discipline NeededAstrobiology and planetary soil chemistry 1 Question Kind Question Status Reader Facing Open Question
The Viking landers' Labeled Release experiment produced results initially read as consistent with biological metabolism, but most scientists later concluded the same results were more likely caused by non-biological, highly oxidizing chemical reactions in the Martian soil. No follow-up mission has definitively settled which explanation is correct.
What would resolve this A mission capable of directly detecting biological molecules or organisms in Martian soil, rather than inferring metabolism indirectly from gas-exchange chemistry, or a complete explanation of the Labeled Release results from soil chemistry alone that leaves no ambiguity.
OpenAstrobiology and planetary soil chemistryViking program (Wikipedia)
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1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
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Viking program (Wikipedia)
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