THE MARTIAN SURFACE: Other Evidence Suggesting Carbon Suboxide

Mars: is the surface colored by carbon suboxide?

The reflection spectrum of Mars can be well matched from 0.2 through 1.6 microns (and farther) by polymers of carbon suboxide, reflection spectra for which have now been measured. We propose that the reddish color of Mars might be attributed to carbon suboxide, not the commonly considered limonite or other iron-bearing minerals.

Mechanistic studies on the decomposition of carbon suboxide in a cometary ice analog

A cometary ice analog sample consisting primarily of carbon suboxide ice (C3O2) was produced from the irradiation of its precursor, carbon monoxide. This carbon suboxide sample was subjected to irradiation with energetic electrons at 10K to simulate the interaction of carbon suboxide-rich cometary analog ices with ionizing radiation. The destruction of carbon suboxide as well as the production ...

Sound velocity in carbon suboxide.

Identification (or Otherwise) of Martian Carbon in Martian Meteorites

Introduction: One of the goals of current martian exploration is to search for evidence of extinct (or even extant) life. In recent years, this goal has been interpreted as a search for evidence of water on Mars’ surface. The success of instrumentation (high resolution cameras and infrared spectrometers) on orbiting spacecraft, coupled with in situ data from the MER rovers have revolutionized o...

Detection of reduced carbon in basalt using Raman spectroscopy: a signpost to habitat on Mars

In the search for evidence of the environmental history of the Martian surface, and the possibility of life at some stage in the planet’s history, a key component is reduced carbon. Carbon is available to the surface environment through meteoritic infall [1] and erosion of abundant volcanic rocks which contain magmatic carbon [2][3], in addition to the possibility of some biogenic carbonaceous ...