In 2003, images taken by Mars orbiters revealed mysterious spider-shaped formations in the planet’s southern hemisphere. These structures were renamed “Mars spidersOr “spider-like terrain,” it stretches for more than a kilometer and has hundreds of thin branches that make it resemble large spiders. Its disturbing appearance and unknown origin have puzzled scientists for nearly two decades. Now, thanks to experiments conducted in NASA laboratories, it seems that light has finally been shed on this strange phenomenon.
Martian spiders replicated in lab by NASA
Theories have evolved over time about how these structures form, but the most widely accepted explanation is carbon dioxide. This gas, which is abundant on Mars, behaves very differently than it does on Earth. Scientists have long suspected that “SpidersThey were the result of processes involving carbon dioxide ice, which does not form naturally on our planet. Until recently, there was no concrete evidence of how these formations were created.
A team of NASA researchers has managed to recreate these conditions in the laboratory. Using extremely low temperatures and atmospheric pressures similar to those on Mars, the scientists reproduced the process that, according to the so-called Kiefer model, leads to the formation of “spiders.” This model suggests that during the Martian winter, a layer of carbon dioxide ice forms on the planet’s surface. When spring comes, the soil below absorbs the sun’s heat and becomes darker. carbon dioxide sublimationThat is, converting it directly from the solid state to the gaseous state without passing through the liquid state.
This gas, its pressure increases under the layer of ice, causes cracksThrough these cracks, gas seeps in, carrying dust and sand from the ground. This material falls onto the icy surface, forming what then appear as branching, spider-web-like structures.
To test this theory, the researchers used DUSTIE, a special liquid nitrogen-cooled test chamber at the center. NASA’s Jet Propulsion LaboratoryDusty is able to recreate the extreme conditions of the Red Planet: extremely low air pressure and temperatures that can drop to -185 degrees Celsius. After several attempts, the scientists were able to create a layer of ice thick and transparent enough to replicate the process. When they heated simulated Martian soil beneath the ice, they finally observed a plume of gas erupt, creating tiny cracks in the ice, replicating the process thought to occur on Mars.
What is left to discover about the mysterious spiders of Mars?
During these experiments, the researchers made an interesting discovery that was not predicted by Kiefer’s model. They noticed that carbon dioxide ice also tended to form between simulated soil grains, which subsequently caused the soil to crack. This may explain why I Mars spiders These new details, which have not been observed before, show that natural processes on Mars are more complex than previously thought.
Despite this progress, there are still many aspects of the mystery of spiders on Mars that remain unclear. One of the most interesting questions is why spiders form? Only in certain areas of Mars.such as the Southern Hemisphere, and nowhere else. Moreover, although they appear to be linked to the planet’s seasonal changes, it is unclear whether these spidery eruptions are continually evolving or are remnants of a past climate, when Mars experienced different weather conditions.
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