The carbon-assimilation experiment detects life in soils by measuring the incorporation of carbon from carbon-14 monoxide and carbon-14 dioxide into organic matter. It is based on the premise that Martian life, if it exists, is carbonaceous and exchanges carbon with the atmosphere, as do all terrestrial organisms. It is especially sensitive for photosynthesizing cells, but it detects heterotrophs also. The experiment has the particular advantage that it can be carried out under essentially Martian conditions of temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition, and water abundance.
The carbon-assimilation experiment - The Viking Mars Lander.
Icarus ; 16
01.02.1972
Sonstige
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Historical perspective - Viking Mars Lander propulsion
NTRS | 1992
|Biological experiments - The Viking Mars Lander.
NTRS | 1972
|The Viking Mars Lander decelerator system
AIAA | 1970
|Historical perspective - Viking Mars Lander propulsion
AIAA | 1992
|Historical perspective - Viking Mars Lander propulsion
AIAA | 1989
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