NASA lander may have found toxic substance on Mars

[agent46]

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2008 (Reuters) — The Phoenix Mars Lander may have detected perchlorate, a potentially toxic substance used in rocket fuel, in soil samples taken from the Red Planet, NASA scientists said on Monday.

The space agency said further tests were required to confirm the presence of perchlorate in Martian dirt and rule out contamination from the spacecraft.

Last week, NASA said Phoenix had provided definitive proof that water exists on Mars after further tests on ice found by the lander in June.

A NASA spokeswoman declined to characterize perchlorate as detrimental to life. But perchlorate, an oxidizing substance, is known to be harmful to humans under certain circumstances and its existence in the soil could suggest that Mars is less hospitable to life than the scientists have so far believed.

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/n31366202-space-mars/

Does anyone know if perchlorate is a naturally occuring compound? Could the lander have contaminated the soil?

[phantom power]

1. It may arise naturally...

Also, the chemistry on Mars may be more favorable for natural production. I'd defer to a chemist on that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchlorate

[librechik]

2. Great--we get to Mars and we've already polluted it

what I know is that it takes very very tiny amounts of perchlorate to be toxic, and I know it does NOT occur naturally. Most likely suspect is the lander or previous contamination from some other rocket-fuel carrying vehicle that has visited there before.

On edit--I was wrong about it occurring naturally (*on earth)

who knows how it got on Mars.

[FogerRox]

3. A rocket powered lander detects rocket fuel ? I'm just smiling for now.

[whistle]

4. Good question

http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/PracPrevention/perchlorate.pdf

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=perchlorate-found-on-mars-makes-soi-2008-08-04

[asjr]

5. That is where Saddam Hussein was

hiding his WMDs.

[Phoonzang]

6. That seems strange...they need to dig a new trench

and try again.

[screembloodymurder]

7. Why did they go to the WH before releasing this info?

Then they change their story.