Mars Methane: A Brief Scent of Gas From a Room No One Can Open
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground whi...
⬛ CONFIDENTIAL nhat141210/data 8/24/2026 1 min read
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground while others see a measurement problem told too loudly.
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground whi...
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground whi...
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground whi...
At times, Curiosity in Gale Crater has smelled methane close to the ground. At other times, measurements show a very low background. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to view the wider atmosphere, has not seen the same picture. A gas trace appears, vanishes, and refuses to stay still when two instruments look from different places: this is the sort of scene in which some people see microbes breathing underground whi...