In an attempt to understand the atmosphere of Mars, scientist from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created artificial Martian atmospheric conditions in a three-story-tall cloud chamber in Germany.
The researchers created condition mimicking the Martian planet and the temperatures were adjusted according to the Martian atmosphere and the relative humidity to aid the formation of Martian Clouds. Scientists were surprised to find that the clouds were formed when the relative humidity is 190% which is more than that of the Earth.
The latest finding will help the scientists create more relevant models of the Martian Atmosphere. Early models of the Martian Atmosphere were created on the belief that clouds on Mars were created in a relative humidity similar to earth. It will also help the scientists better understand the mechanism of transportation of water through the atmosphere.
Dan Cziczo, the Victor P. Starr Associate Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at MIT, said in an official statement said, “A lot of atmospheric models for Mars are very simple. They have to make gross assumptions about how clouds form: As soon as it hits 100 percent humidity, boom, you get a cloud to form. But we found you need more to kick-start the process.”
The experiment was conducted in Karlsruhe, Germany, at the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) facility in 2012. The site was a former nuclear reactor site and has been converted into the largest cloud chamber in the world.
The facility was used to examine the atmospheric conditions on Earth. However it soon dawned upon Cziczo that with minor modifications the Martian Atmosphere can be created. For creating a Martian Atmosphere, the researchers first drained out all the
Source;http://www.pentagonpost.com
No comments:
Post a Comment