Search for 'Missing' Carbon on Mars Cancelled

Mars' carbon-rich atmosphere was once thick enough to raise the planet's surface temperature and allow entire oceans of liquid water to form there — a drastic change from the cold desert it is today. This metamorphosis of the Red Planet has put scientists on the hunt for a left-over "carbon reservoir" in the planet's dirt and soil. Like any planetary system, Mars' atmosphere is intimately linked with conditions on the planet's surface.