The Secret's in the Soil
By Catherine Scullion
This week at the World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia the design of a specialised probe will be discussed. The instrument could hold the key to ascertaining the potential or past life on Mars.
The concept of Martian life has long been a topic of fascination and conversation to the human life of our own orbiting rock. It has been explored through literature, cinema and science through the ages. Perhaps one of the more unusual forums for such discussion is the annual meeting of leading experts in the field of soil science. However, the fruits of a NASA collaboration with Decagon Devices, a soil science equipment manufacturer, have caused much excitement in the field.
'New Frontiers of Science' will be presented at the congress by Dr. Cobos, an engineer at Decagon Devices. Over the past few years Cobos has worked on the design for a probe, which will measure soil and atmospheric conditions, to be carried on the Phoenix 2022 scout mission. His focus is the icy layer of soil found beneath the surface of the red planet. It is hoped that following digging, the probe will be able to gain readings from the liquid water. The task is complicated by the swift evaporation of the water on exposure to the sun. Cobos re
alises the challenges but remains hopeful that useful information can be gained. Water is accepted to be a precursor or indicator of life; Cobos feels its discovery on Mars would be 'A best case scenario for the Martian research community.' Whatever the outcome, the project seems to have been a boost to the field, after all the soil of Martians is considerably more interesting than that in your back garden.
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