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For many years, it was thought that nuclear bombs destroyed Mars, the planet that still draws our attention the most, millions of years ago. From the possibility that it was inhabited by creatures similar to ourselves to, well, wherever the human imagination can go, the theories surrounding the red giant are intriguing!
Because they think Mars had lakes, rivers, and oceans that resembled our planet, NASA has now dispatched a number of probes there to look for evidence of previous life. Amazing, given that it’s a red fireball, isn’t it?
The amounts of xenon-129 and the existence of uranium and thorium that have already been found by other NASA spacecraft lend credence to all of these theories. However, how accurate is this? Let’s dissect it!
The root of the myth of life on Mars
It all started in 1976 when the Viking 1 probe’s sensors captured images of Mars’ well-known Face in the Cydonia region. Simultaneously, the onboard spectrometers detected extremely odd amounts of xenon-129, an isotope that is produced on Earth following nuclear testing.
Intrigued by these findings, the scientist John Brandenburg initially postulated the presence of manufactured thermonuclear explosions that would have wiped out ancient civilizations, and then natural reactors. According to this scientist, nuclear reactors similar to the ones we have today existed in the past.
High levels of radioactive uranium, thorium, and potassium were discovered on Mars, and it is true that thermonuclear explosions occurred there in the very distant past. From where did they originate?
According to the theory, excessive quantities of dangerous gasses destroyed these ancient civilizations (the Cydonians and Utopians). Even pictures of a man’s face were included, albeit it was most likely merely pareidolia.
NASA’s Viking 1 orbiter took the first picture of the face on Mars in 1976, and the Mars Global Surveyor took the second picture in 2001.jVkPqwMcoW pic.twitter.com/
June 4, 2025, World of Engineering (@engineers_feed)
Goodbye to the theories
ASA has disproved all of the purported support for this theory, stating that, first, even while it appears that there are pictures of people, the images are actually an optical illusion brought on by the light.
For nearly ten years, the Curiosity rover’s SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) examined samples of rock and air. According to their findings, Mars’ weak magnetosphere caused the solar wind to destroy between 65% and 80% of the planet’s initial atmosphere. It is also evident that this process accounts for the concentration of rare gases. Humans did not exist on Mars.
Thorium, uranium, and potassium
Although uranium and thorium deposits in the crust were mapped and observed by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, their distribution is consistent with ancient basaltic lava flows rather than nuclear impact craters. The fossil reactor of Oklo (Gabon), where uranium attained criticality 1.7 billion years ago, is a comparable natural antecedent on Earth. Any long-term chain reaction would not have been possible on Mars due to the extended absence of liquid water.
Myths that refuse to die
Human obsession with cosmic tragedies, clickbait headlines, and fuzzy photos have all contributed to the idea of a Martian Armageddon. Nevertheless, there is no peer-reviewed evidence for it. The Face on Cydonia is an optical illusion, according to NASA itself, as higher-resolution photos reveal an eroded hill devoid of man-made characteristics.
What we do know about Mars s past
Mars had rivers, oceans, and perhaps even habitable circumstances 3.5 billion years ago.Its reddish hue results from the iron oxide that covers the surface, giving it the appearance of rust dust. We also know that it has enormous volcanoes, such as the solar system’s tallest volcano, Olympus Mons.
The intriguing thing is that, unlike Earth, the planet no longer had a magnetic field to shield it, and much of its atmosphere was swept away by the solar wind.
Search for life?
Programs like as Mars Sample Return and ExoMars will examine sealed rocks to look for biosignatures. If there was ever life on Mars, it probably perished due to drastic climatic change rather than fictitious battle explosions, don’t you think?
As science progresses, we gradually discover more about the conditions of Mars and other solar system planets billions of years ago. Without a question, the Milky Way’s geological processes are amazing and incredibly fascinating. What else could we expect from Curiosity?
