Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Kemner, K..
As a result of the Viking missions in 1970s, the presence of a strong oxidant in Martian soil was suggested. Here we present a testable, by near-term missions, hypothesis that iron (VI) contributes to that oxidizing pool.
Fe(VI) in the form of ferrate salts, with FeO(sub 4)(sup 2-) anion, was studied for its spectral and oxidative properties, with the question of whether it might be a suitable analog of the Mars soil oxidant, proposed as a result of the Viking missions of the early 1970s.
The Viking Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer failed to detect organic matter on Mars, and both the Viking Labeled Release and Gas Exchange experiments indicated a highly oxidizing reactive soil on Mars surface.