Curiosity analyzed the content of xenon in the atmosphere of Mars

For Curiosity designed an experiment in which the rover analyzed the content of xenon in the atmosphere of Mars in order to better understand its history. It is present in the atmosphere in very small concentrations and can be only measured in situ during local experiment.

"The study of xenon refers to one of the fundamental measurements that can be performed on the planet, such as Mars or Venus, as it provides valuable information about the early history of the studied planets and why they turned off the general path of development and have become so different from Earth" says Melissa Trainer, one of the scientists analyzing data from SAM.

The atmosphere of Mars consists of several gases composed of isotopes. When the planet for some reason begins to lose the atmosphere, this process affects the amount of isotope remaining in its composition, so the experiment will help scientists learn more about the process, which results in ash layers of the atmosphere of Mars.

SAM to measure the concentration of xenon isotopes 9 and followed a period in the history of Mars, when the process of entrainment of the atmosphere into space forced to move even heavy xenon molecule that fly slower than light.

The experiment took several months of testing, during which used a replica of SAM, installed in a room simulation environment of Mars.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/248546/