Nasa s mars atmosphere and volatile evolution maven mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the martian climate from an early warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold arid.
Nasa solar wind strips martian atmosphere.
Nasa s mars atmosphere and volatile evolution maven mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the martian climate from an early warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold arid planet mars is today maven data have enabled researchers to determine the rate at which the martian atmosphere currently is.
Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the martian atmosphere transforming mars from a planet that could have supported life billions of years ago into a frigid desert world according to new results from nasa s maven spacecraft.
Earth is shielded from the solar wind by a magnetic bubble extending 50 000 km into space our planet s magnetosphere.
Watch this video on the nasa goddard youtube channel.
Artist s rendering of a solar storm hitting mars and stripping ions from the planet s upper atmosphere.
Social sharing solar particles strips away gas in.
Scientists have long suspected the solar wind of stripping the martian upper atmosphere into space turning mars from a blue world to a red one.
New evidence from nasa s mars global surveyor mgs spacecraft supports a long held suspicion that much of the red planet s atmosphere was simply blown away by the solar wind.
Now nasa s maven orbiter is observing this process in action providing significant data on solar wind erosion at mars.
Nasa s mars atmosphere and volatile evolution maven mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the martian climate from an early warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold arid planet mars is today.