NASA orbiter to hunt for source of Martian methane

NASA is setting its sights on launching an orbiter in 2016 that could map methane on Mars and help settle whether the gas has a biological or geological origin.

Ground-based observations of the Red Planet led by Michael Mumma of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center suggest methane on Mars actually stems from a few hotspots that could be linked to underground pockets of gas created by the interaction of water with volcanic rock, or perhaps, by methane-producing microbes.

The 2016 orbiter could help determine whether there are indeed methane hotspots.

The case for a biological origin for the gas would be strengthened if there is an overabundance of methane laden with the isotope carbon-12, which life prefers to process over heavier isotopes.

If, however, the atmosphere also contains heavier hydrocarbons such as ethane, which life as we know it cannot produce, that would point to a geological source for the methane.