Mars group > Research

Research

Our research is centred on investigations of the dust, soil and rocks on Mars by magnetic experiments on Mars landers and rovers. The main goal is to understand the geological evolution of Mars, especially the history of water, since water is necessary for the evolution and survival of life as we know it.

Iron oxides on Mars

Our research focuses on the minerals known as iron oxides of which Mars are in abundance. Iron oxides are a group of minerals containing iron and oxygen. Some iron oxides contain other elements as well. Because of the iron, most iron oxides can be captured on permanent magnets, and the iron makes it possible to identify the minerals by Mössbauer spectroscopy. 

In our experiments we generally use permanent magnets on board Mars landers and rovers to capture dust from the Martian atmosphere or from the ground. We then investigate the captured dust by optical, x-ray and Mössbauer-spectroscopy, optical microscopy and even atomic force microscopy.

Minerals reveal the history of water

Since some minerals form in humid environments and others in dry environments, the mineral composition of the dust and soil contains information of the history of water on Mars. Mineral formation is also dependent on the acidity of the environment which again is an important parameter for the conditions of life.