Download this video in high-resolution from NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio:\u00a0https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/14690\/<\/a>
Credit: NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center\/Dan Gallagher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Today, MAVEN continues to make exciting new discoveries about the Red Planet that increase our understanding of how atmospheric evolution affected Mars\u2019 climate and the previous presence of liquid water on its surface, potentially determining its prior habitability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an incredibly exciting time for the MAVEN team as we celebrate 10 years of Martian science and see the tremendous impact this mission has had on the field,\u201d said Shannon Curry, the principal investigator of MAVEN and a researcher at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. \u201cWe also look forward to the future discoveries MAVEN will bring.\u201d<\/p>\n
In celebration of this mission milestone, we recap some of the most significant scientific results of this unique and long-lasting Mars aeronomy mission.<\/p>\n
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- Extreme atmospheric erosion<\/a>
One of MAVEN\u2019s first big results was discovering that the erosion of Mars\u2019 atmosphere increases significantly during solar storms. The team studied how the solar wind \u2014 a stream of charged particles continually streaming from the Sun \u2014 and solar storms continually strip away Mars\u2019 atmosphere, and how this process played a key role in altering the Martian climate from a potentially habitable planet to today\u2019s cold, arid planet.<\/li>\n- Sputtering to space<\/a>
To better understand how Mars lost much of its atmosphere, MAVEN measured isotopes of argon gas in the upper Martian atmosphere. Argon is a noble gas, meaning it rarely reacts with other constituents in the Martian atmosphere. The only way it can be removed is by atmospheric sputtering \u2014 a process where ions crash into the Martian atmosphere at high enough speeds that they knock gas molecules out of the atmosphere. When the MAVEN team analyzed argon isotopes in the upper atmosphere, they were able to estimate that roughly 65% of the argon originally present had been lost through sputtering over the planet\u2019s history.<\/li>\n- A new type of aurora<\/a>
MAVEN has discovered several types of auroras that flare up when energetic particles plunge into the atmosphere, bombarding gases and making them glow. The MAVEN team showed that protons, rather than electrons, create auroras at Mars. On Earth, proton auroras only occur in very small regions near the poles, whereas at Mars they can happen everywhere.<\/li>\n- Martian dust storm<\/a>
In 2018, a runaway series of dust storms created a dust cloud so large that it enveloped the planet. The MAVEN team studied how this \u201cglobal\u201d dust storm affected Mars\u2019 upper atmosphere to understand how these events affect how the escape of water to space. It confirmed that heating from dust storms can loft water molecules far higher into the atmosphere than usual, leading to a sudden surge in water lost to space.<\/li>\n- Map of Martian winds
<\/a>MAVEN researchers created the first map of wind circulation in the upper atmosphere of Mars. The new map is helping scientists better understand the Martian climate, including how terrain on the planet\u2019s surface is disturbing high-altitude wind currents. The results provide insight into how the dynamics of the upper Martian atmosphere have influenced the Red Planet\u2019s climate evolution in the past and present.<\/li>\n- Twisted tail<\/a>
Mars has an invisible magnetic \u201ctail\u201d that is twisted by its interaction with the solar wind. Although models predicted that magnetic reconnection causes Mars\u2019 magnetotail to twist, it wasn\u2019t until MAVEN arrived that scientists could confirm that the predictions were correct. The process that creates the twisted tail could also allow some of Mars\u2019 already thin atmosphere to escape to space.<\/li>\n- Mapping electric currents<\/a>
Researchers used MAVEN data to create a map of electric current systems in the Martian atmosphere. These form when solar wind ions and electrons smash into the planet\u2019s induced magnetic field, causing the particles to flow apart. The resulting electric currents, which drape around the planet, play a fundamental role in the atmospheric loss that transformed Mars from a world that could have supported life to an inhospitable desert.<\/li>\n- Disappearing solar wind<\/a>
MAVEN recently observed the unexpected \u201cdisappearance\u201d of the solar wind. This was caused by a type of solar event so powerful that it created a void in its wake as it traveled across the solar system. MAVEN\u2019s measurements showed that when it reached Mars, the solar wind density dropped significantly. This disappearance of the solar wind allowed the Martian atmosphere and magnetosphere to balloon out by thousands of kilometers.<\/li>\n- Ultraviolet views<\/a> of the Red Planet
MAVEN captured stunning views of Mars in two ultraviolet images taken at different points along the Red Planet\u2019s orbit around the Sun. By viewing the planet in ultraviolet wavelengths, scientists gain insight into the Martian atmosphere and view surface features in remarkable ways.<\/li>\n- Mars\u2019<\/a> response to solar storms
In May 2024, a series of solar events triggered a torrent of energetic particles that quickly traveled to Mars. Many of NASA\u2019s Mars missions, including MAVEN, observed this celestial event and captured images of glowing auroras over the planet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nMAVEN\u2019s principal investigator is based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. LASP is also responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communications.<\/em> NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provides navigation and Deep Space Network support.<\/em><\/p>\n
By Willow Reed
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado Boulder<\/strong><\/p>\nMedia Contact: <\/strong>Nancy N. Jones<\/strong><\/a>
NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n\nExplore More<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
- Sputtering to space<\/a>
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