Ferrate(V1): Testable Hypothesis for the Martian Oxidant

The proposed program of Mars exploration for the next decade (Mars Surveyor Program, MSP) includes a number of missions at two year intervals. Already the Mars '98 polar missions (orbiter and lander) are on their way, to be followed by missions in '01, '03, and '05, the latter two of which will involve collection of samples from the Martian surface. In all these missions, including the Mars Sample Return (MSR), one will complete some measurements of physical, chemical, and geological properties of Mars, by both in situ studies of the surface and the atmosphere, and the analyses of returned samples. Key among the investigations, however, will be the search for life in the Universe, with particular focus on Mars, given its planetary history and its proximity to Earth. Mostly due to the Viking missions in the 1970's, and more recent Pathfinder investigations, considerable knowledge has been acquired on the geology and chemical