
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
Sports Shoes of 2024: Upgrade Execution and Solace
Most loved VR Game for Wellness: Which Keeps You Dynamic?
10 Famous Frozen yogurt Flavors All over The Planet
Lego's $650 Pokémon set is already sold out as demand, preorders surge
They died 'doing what they loved': The stories of workers in their 80s who died on the job
Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold
'The Golden Bachelor' Season 2 finale: How to watch tonight, start time, where to stream and more
Investigating Remarkable Espresso Flavors: Upgrade Your Day to day Blend
Hundreds of kilos of protected plant seized by Israel Nature and Parks Authority in Golan












