
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
AI is making spacecraft propulsion more efficient – and could even lead to nuclear-powered rockets - 2
Independence from the rat race: How to Save and Contribute Shrewdly - 3
With Obamacare premium hikes, more people opting for no coverage or cheaper plans - 4
Cocoa Prices Settle Lower on Expectations of Adequate Supplies - 5
Exemplary Fragrances: A Manual for Notorious Scents
Vote in favor of the Web-based Work out schedule to Keep You Fit and Sound
Step by step instructions to Choose the Right Internet based Degree Program for Your Future
UK to hold fresh pork, other affected Spanish products at border amid African swine fever outbreak
This star-forming galaxy is blowing out powerful winds topping 2 million mph
Iconic iceberg turns blue, on verge of totally disintegrating, NASA says
Charli xcx recorded original songs for 'Wuthering Heights' — what to know about the new album for Margot Robbie's film
Red Crescent: More than 100,000 civilian structures damaged in Iran
Gaza humanitarian efforts reach key milestone as UNICEF vaccinates some 13,000 children
Extraordinary Shows to Long distance race on a Plane












