
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
The most effective method to Pick the Right Teeth Substitution Choice for You - 2
Artemis II updates: NASA's moon mission breaks Apollo record for farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth - 3
Exploring the Gig Economy: Examples from Consultants - 4
10 Distinct Kinds of Chinese Neighborhood Specialty Hot Pot - 5
EU top diplomat Kallas arrives in Kiev to commemorate Bucha massacre
Picking the Right Home Machines: A Commonsense Aide
10 Asian Countries Perfect for Solo Female Travelers
A few Up-to-date Sacks - Stylish Young ladies Shouldn't Miss
I'm 18 and founded an AI startup. I have to wake up at 3 a.m. to work on it before school, but it's worth every sleepless night.
From Amateur to Master: My Involvement in Photography
German economic institutes cut forecast in half over Iran war
Hubble Space Telescope spies dusty debris from two cosmic collisions
Witness the elegance of the cosmic butterfly in a remarkable telescope photo
Voting begins in Uganda’s presidential election during internet shutdown and polling station delays













