Space & Astronomy

Mars glass could preserve evidence of life

By T.K. Randall
June 13, 2015 ·  7 comments

Future Mars missions could look for signs of life within impact glass. Image Credit: NASA The glass, which was discovered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is thought to have been formed by the intense heat produced at the moment of a meteorite strike.

Scientists studying materials sealed inside impact glass here on Earth now believe that something similar could have been preserved on Mars, opening up the possibility of finding evidence of life.Back in 2014 researchers at Brown University even managed to find organic molecules that had become sealed inside glass following a meteorite impact on Earth millions of years ago.

The find could make glass deposits on Mars a tantalizing target for future missions.

"The researchers' analysis suggests glass deposits are relatively common impact features on Mars," said NASA's Jim Green. "These areas could be targets for future exploration as our robotic scientific explorers pave the way on the journey to Mars with humans in the 2030s."

Source: Earthsky.org | Comments (7)

Tags: Mars, Glass