50 years after Viking Mars landing, chemist argues NASA may have missed life evidence
8 reported
Fifty years after the Viking 1 lander touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976, a chemist and former Harvard professor is arguing that NASA may have overlooked evidence of microbial life in the mission’s data. Steven Benner, in his new book “Meet the Neighbours,” claims that while reviewing original Viking mission logs at NASA’s Lunar and Planetary Institute in 1999, he found that the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) experiment had detected traces of organic materials in Martian soil, but scientists dismissed them as contaminants. Benner notes that NASA’s 2008 Phoenix lander later discovered perchlorates in Martian soil, chemicals that destroy organic materials when heated, and the 1970s GC-MS experiment heated soil to 500C. He argues that the evidence against life is weaker than commonly believed and that NASA’s Astrobiology Institute in the late 1990s decided not to fly experiments looking for extant life on Mars, interpreting Viking as a mistake or failure. Benner is not the first to make such claims; Dr. Gilbert V Levin, who designed a Viking test, argued similarly until his death in 2021, and the late astrobiologist Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez agreed that Viking may have been blind to low levels of organics. NASA told the Guardian it does not comment on outside research, and the European Space Agency said it was not aware of Benner’s publication.
What’s reported
Viking 1 landed on Mars on July 20, 1976, 50 years ago.
Steven Benner, a chemist and former Harvard professor, argues in his new book that NASA may have missed evidence of life from the Viking missions.
Benner says that while reviewing original Viking mission logs at NASA’s Lunar and Planetary Institute in 1999, he found the GC-MS experiment detected traces of organics but scientists dismissed them as contaminants.
NASA’s 2008 Phoenix lander discovered perchlorates in Martian soil, which destroy organic materials when heated; the Viking GC-MS experiment heated soil to 500C.
Benner states that NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, inaugurated in the late 1990s, decided no experiment would fly if it looked for extant life on Mars.
Dr. Gilbert V Levin, who designed a Viking test, argued similarly until his death in 2021.
The late Mexican astrobiologist Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez agreed that Viking may have been blind to low levels of organics.
NASA told the Guardian it does not comment on outside research; the European Space Agency said it was not aware of Benner’s publication.
Key figures
Steven Benner, chemist and former Harvard professor, author of “Meet the Neighbours”
Dr. Gilbert V Levin, designer of a Viking test (deceased 2021)
Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez, late Mexican astrobiologist
Jared Isaacman, NASA head (mentioned as target of Benner’s challenge)
Sources: The Guardian
