Astronomers find atomic oxygen in Martian atmosphere

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., May 9 (UPI) -- NASA's flying telescope SOFIA recently detected atomic oxygen in the upper atmosphere of Mars. The last time scientists identified Martian atmospheric oxygen was 40 years ago.

"Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure," Pamela Marcum, SOFIA project scientist, said in a news release. "To observe the far-infrared wavelengths needed to detect atomic oxygen, researchers must be above the majority of Earth's atmosphere and use highly sensitive instruments."

SOFIA is short for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a joint project managed by NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. The sensitive infrared telescope is housed in a Boeing 747SP wide-body aircraft, which can be flown into Earth's upper atmosphere for observations.

NASA scientists say they found less oxygen than anticipated -- roughly half what they expected. Fluctuations in the Martian atmosphere may explain the low readings. SOFIA is scheduled to make additional observations in the coming months, which scientists hope will aid their understanding of the Red Planet's fluctuating atmosphere.

The last measurements of atomic oxygen in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere were recorded by the Viking and Mariner missions in the 1970s.