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Chapter 11: Problem 37

Were the Viking Landers able to determine whether life currently exists on Mars or whether it once existed there? Why or why not?

Short Answer

Expert verified
No, the Viking Landers were not able to conclusively determine whether life currently exists or once existed on Mars due to the ambiguity in the experimental data and lack of definitive evidence.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Viking Landers' Mission

The primary mission of the Viking Landers was to search for evidence of life on Mars. They were equipped with a set of biological experiments designed to detect metabolic activities, related to those performed by life as we know it on Earth.
02

Understand the Capability of the Viking Landers

The Viking Landers detected organic molecules in the Martian soil, indicative of life. However, Viking Landers couldn't confirm the existence of life on Mars definitively, mainly because the presence of organic molecules could also be explained by non-biological processes.
03

Understand the Conditions on Mars

Mars is a harsh environment with freezing temperatures, thin atmosphere, and high radiation. It's believed that Mars might have had more favorable conditions for life in the past.
04

Conclusion

It's been concluded that the Viking Landers were unable to definitely determine whether life currently exists or once existed on Mars due to lack of conclusive evidence and the inconsistency in the experiment data.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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