NASA Mars mission: Scientists detect atomic oxygen in Mars' atmosphere

For the first time in four decades, NASA has found oxygen in Mars' atmosphere.The last time oxygen was detected in the Martian atmosphere was in the 1970s during NASA's Viking and Mariner missions. This time around, atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere was detected by a specialized 747 jetliner that flies in Earth's stratosphere. The jetliner is called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA. Using a spectrometer that observes far-infrared waves, the California-based plane found oxygen atoms in one of the upper layers of Mars' atmosphere, known as the mesosphere. According to a NASA statement released about the finding, scientists only detected half the amount of oxygen they expected, probably due to natural variations in Mars' atmosphere.