
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has orbited Mars for more than a decade.
Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it reappeared, there was only silence.
Launched in 2013, Maven began studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind once reaching the red planet the following year. Scientists ended up blaming the sun for Mars losing most of its atmosphere to space over the eons, turning it from wet and warm to the dry and cold world it is today.
Maven also has served as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance.
Engineering investigations are underway, according to NASA.
NASA has two other spacecraft around Mars that are still active: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
EU Council president: Ukraine should receive binding guarantees - 2
Sought-After Extravagance Ocean side Objections for a Lovely Escape - 3
5 Instructive Toy Brands for Youngsters - 4
Israel strikes Iranian nuclear development facilities, Tehran vows retaliation - 5
Vote in favor of the Web-based Work out schedule to Keep You Fit and Sound
6 Useful Home Espresso Machines
Sustaining Public activity and Connections: Key Methodologies
4 Dazzling And Well known Island Objections In US
German petrol stations hike prices as once-a-day rule takes effect
Lightning on Jupiter could be up to 1 million times stronger than on Earth
Mount Everest Climbers 'Poisoned' by Guides Prompting Mass Helicopter Rescues in $20 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme, Police Say
Make your choice for a definitive Christmas place to get-away!
South Korea to End Bear Bile Farming and Find New Homes for the 200 Bears Stuck in the Industry
6 Fun Urban areas For Seniors To Travel













