Oxychlorine Species on Mars: Implications from Gale Crater Samples

Authors :: Archer, P. Douglas, Jr
Ming, Douglas W
Sutter, Brad
Morris, Richard V
Clark, B. C
Mahaffy, P. H
Wray, J. J
Fairen, A. G
Gellert, Ralf
Yen, Albert
Blake, David F
Glavin, Daniel P
Eigenbrode, Jen
Trainer, M. G
McKay, Christopher P
Freissinet, Caroline
Publication Year :: 2016
Publisher :: United States: NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), 2016.
Abstract: Evidence of oxychlorine species such as perchlorates or chlorates have been detected in nearly every acquired sample analyzed on the surface of Mars. Perchlorates were first discovered by the Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL) instrument on the Phoenix lander in 2008. The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has analyzed twelve samples from Gale Crater (as of July 2016), nine drilled samples and three scooped samples. After delivery to SAM, samples are heated to approximately 850 C and evolved gases are measured by a quadrupole mass spectrometer.