
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
25 Most Beautiful Villages in France You Can Actually Visit - 2
Fireball sightings are surging across the US — here's what's really going on - 3
6 Natural products High In Vitamins,Which One Do You Like to Eat - 4
Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy price as CEO pledges to go 'all in' on weight loss pill - 5
Proficient Cultivating Devices for a Lovely and Useful Nursery in 2024
Geomagnetic storm grounds launch of Mars space weather satellites
The Benefits of Rehearsing Careful Nurturing
Pilot captures jaw-dropping northern lights show from 36,000 feet (photos)
A few Exemplary Chinese Dishes, Which Are Famous Around the world
Fiber is something most people could use more of. But experts advise caution with 'fibermaxxing'
Figure out How to Improve Your Stream Voyage with Remarkable Trips and Exercises
You finally got a doctor's appointment. Here's how to get the most out of it
Jasmine Crockett in, Colin Allred out: A major shakeup for Democrats in their quest to finally win a Senate seat in Texas
Japanese H3 rocket fails during launch of navigation satellite (video)












