
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
Manual for 6 Hot Brilliant Beds - 2
The Iran war’s energy security legacy - 3
Some super-smart dogs can pick up new words just by eavesdropping - 4
AstraZeneca to acquire Modella AI to speed oncology drug research - 5
What we know about Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis
Europe’s EV Boom Was Real in 2025. The Real Fight Starts In 2026
Toddler given just 3 years to live after strange symptoms makes full recovery
Must-See Public Parks from Around the Globe
Cheetah, Hammerhead Shark, and 38 Other Animals in Danger of Extinction Receive New International Protections from U.N.
The 10 Most Famous Style Minutes on Honorary pathway
Nordic people know how to beat the winter blues. Here's how to find light in the darkest months
The Electric Bicycle Americans Can Confide in 2024
Presenting Nintendo's New Pastel Bliss Con Tones for Switch Gamers: 3 Smart Choices
Tech Devices 2023: The Most blazing Arrivals of the Year













