To Boldly Go...
Seen on SlashDot – did Viking miss signs of life on Mars?
The
science facts
behind the SlashDot article support that idea. Remember – in 1976
scientists didn’t know a whole lot about Mars; Viking was really the
first successfull attempt to put a science observatory on another
planet with the idea of operating for more than a few moments. Viking
was designed with what was known about Earth, and some ideas scientists
had about Mars.
"Benzenecarboxylates, oxalates, and perhaps acetates " are the
telltales this analysis claims the scientists should have been looking
for. But how could they know for sure?