back to article Comet 67P's oxygen could be a breath of fresh air

One of the big surprises in the Rosetta probe's visit to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko was the 2015 announcement that the rock was surrounded by a thin cloud of molecular oxygen. The discovery, announced in October 2015, set boffins scratching their heads. Since, it was assumed at the time, the oxygen had accompanied the …

  1. Anonymous Coward Silver badge
    Joke

    O2 on a comet? They can't even provide adequate coverage on earth.

    I bet the roaming fees are astronomical though.

    1. choleric

      O2 may be there, but it's not even 1g. There is little to no prospect of Long Term Evolution.

      1. xeroks

        However, the presence of oxygen is a dead giveaway: there are oxygenic lifeforms on that rock.

        The only open question is on whether they use photosynthesis, a chemical pathway, or both.

  2. Oengus

    The comet needs to have the O2 convert to O3 to give it an Ozone layer to protect itself against the UV.

    1. PNGuinn
      Trollface

      The comet needs to have the O2 convert to O3

      Nah -

      Need to knock off that other O - leaving THREE.

      Might get some coverage then ....

  3. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    Sceptical ...

    If this was the mechanism there would be twice the amount of molecular hydrogen produced. Whilst this wouldn't be as gravitationally bound as the oxygen I would have expected significant detection of it in the 'atmosphere' and especially in the comet's plume but I can find no report of either. There is the possibility of chemical reaction with CO, CN etc to form some of the larger molecules they did find but a plausible mechanism for that reaction cycle would then be needed ...

    1. imanidiot Silver badge

      Re: Sceptical ...

      Read again. The hydrogen combines with other materials and is bound to solid materials on the surface. Leaving the O2 in a gaseous state free to float away.

      1. Hans 1

        Re: Sceptical ...

        > The hydrogen combines with other materials and is bound to solid materials on the surface ...

        That is the part that I find a "very optimistic" thought ...

        UV that breaks H2O up? ok ... but hydrogen gas that "combines" with solids on the surface, you need quite some energy for that and, if you have the energy, you have to keep oxygen away ... :-\ This makes little sense imho and I am not a physicist ...

        1. Andy The Hat Silver badge

          Re: Sceptical ...

          "UV that breaks H2O up? ok ... but hydrogen gas that "combines" with solids on the surface, you need quite some energy for that and, if you have the energy, you have to keep oxygen away ... "

          As I said, there has to be a mechanism which doesn't result in significant quanities of free hydrogen...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Test Comment, please disregard

    "ways in which oxygen could be produced on the comet: photolysis and radiolysis of water, solar wind–surface interactions, [motocross racing, space dolphins, crashed NASA weather baloon, ants (those guys get everywhere, especially during the summer months), Furbys, outplaced IBM engineers, crashed garbage pod filled with old SCUBA diving gear,] and gas-phase collisions have all been observed in cometary environments."

    Indeed.

    1. PNGuinn
      Boffin

      Re: Test Comment, please disregard

      Clangers. Or the Soup Dragon.

      Is there anything Chicken Soup can’t do?

  5. TrumpSlurp the Troll
    Trollface

    Mathter

    Itth ALIVE!!!!!!!

  6. Faux Science Slayer

    "Earth's Missing Geothermal Flux" at FauxScienceSlayer

    Virtually all of Earth's atmosphere is volcanic outgas and 99.9% of all groundwater is....

    elemental, volcanic fission byproduct. Also were "Volcanic CO2" at Geologist-1011

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      Re: "Earth's Missing Geothermal Flux" at FauxScienceSlayer

      Are you off your tablets again?

      Nurse!

    2. Sweep

      Re: "Earth's Missing Geothermal Flux" at FauxScienceSlayer

      Wibble?

  7. onefang
    Boffin

    One year later, and no one has figured out what's going on, it's de-rusting.

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