
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
Hezbollah rockets hit 165 UNIFIL positions in Lebanon while targeting Israel, IDF reveals - 2
The Electric Toyota Hilux Is Finally here, But It's Not Cheap - 3
War in Iran could exacerbate German housing crisis, minister warns - 4
What to know about new CDC deputy director who has been critical of COVID vaccines - 5
Gaza receiving over 70,000 cubic meters of water per day, COGAT claims
A Manual for Pick Dependable Vehicle Rental Administrations For 2024
Nitty gritty Manual for Picking Agreeable Tennis shoes
I traveled to 13 countries in 2025. This small island nation surprised me the most.
How Deforestation Is Reshaping Mosquito-Human Contact
Toilet rats? Washington health officials warn of possible rodents in sewer systems after floods
Instructions to Pick the Best Album Rates for Your Investment funds
Pick Your Favored kind of books
Jury says Johnson & Johnson owes $40 million to 2 cancer patients who used talcum powders
The Main 15 Powerful Business Heads of Today













