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.
The 20 Most sultry Style of the Time- Russia Creates New Military Branch Dedicated To Drone Warfare
- Giant ‘toothed’ birds flew over Antarctica 40 million to 50 million years ago
- Orcas seen hunting great white sharks to eat their livers in drone footage recorded in Mexico
- Venice’s newest marvel is a wild, acrobatic dolphin. His refusal to leave puts him in danger
- Boeing's troubled capsule won't carry astronauts on next space station flight
- Regeneron's experimental therapy combo effective in untreated cancer patients
- Witness the elegance of the cosmic butterfly in a remarkable telescope photo
- Solid Living Tips: Experiences from a Wellness Fan
