The first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, NASAβs MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), has ended after more than 11 years in orbit at Mars […]
MAVEN
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics
A Surprising Phenomenon Found In NASA Data From Mars
Data beamed back from Mars by the NASA spacecraft MAVEN provides the first evidence that a phenomenon protecting planets from solar winds can occur in the atmospheres of worlds that […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Mars As An Exoplanet: Lessons From A Planet At The Edge Of Habitability
Mars is the Solar System’s canonical small, rocky planet that transitioned from early geologic activity and surface liquid water to a cold and arid planet with a thin, cold, CO2-dominated […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
MAVEN Discovers Space Weather Atmospheric Effect At Mars
In December 2023, scientists looking at Mars data stumbled across something completely unexpected β observations of an atmospheric effect never before seen in the Red Planetβs atmosphere.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics
ESA Orbiters Watch A Solar Superstorm Hit Mars
What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agencyβs Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Marsβ Missing Atmosphere Could Be Hiding In Plain Sight
Mars wasnβt always the cold desert we see today. Thereβs increasing evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planetβs surface, billions of years ago. And if there was water, […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Influence Of Upstream Solar Wind On Magnetic Field Distribution In The Martian Nightside Ionosphere
This study is led by Postdoctoral researcher Jiawei Gao from IGGCAS. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global dipolar magnetic field; the planet does have locally distributed crustal magnetic fields.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release
Hubble Helps Solve The Mystery Of Marsβ Escaping Water
Scientists have discovered that the escape rates of hydrogen and “heavy hydrogen,” called deuterium, change rapidly when Mars is close to the Sun. This upended the classical picture that scientists […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mars, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Characterizing The Current Systems In The Martian Ionosphere
When the solar wind interacts with the ionosphere of an unmagnetized planet, it induces currents that form an induced magnetosphere. These currents and their associated magnetic fields play a pivotal […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Studying The Impact Of Solar Storms At Mars
The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on the Red Planet.