
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
Influencers are selling a delusional fantasy of being postpartum. Why is it so easy to believe? - 2
What Middle East Conflict Could Mean For The World’s Largest Whale Shark Gathering - 3
20-year-old who threatened German train attack remanded in custody - 4
Getting breast implants was a mistake I live with every day. Why I’m sharing my story now, at 70, in pain and afraid. - 5
She was the ultimate '90s fitness influencer. Now she's delivering Uber Eats — and rebuilding her life.
Sexual violence part of 'everyday life' in parts of Sudan, charity says
African nations push to recognize crimes of colonialism in Algeria
Change Your Home into an Exercise center with These Famous Wellness Gadgets
Astonishing Deserts All over The Planet You Really want To Visit
The face is familiar, the name might not be. The king of "Hey, it's that guy!' roles is ready to show you his next act.
Canada Awards C$1.5 Billion Defense Contracts to L3Harris, Airbus
Excited visitors for NASA's moon launch jockey for prime views
Louisiana seeks California doctor’s extradition, testing the limits of shield laws
Find Your Ideal Tea: Six Particular Assortments












