
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
Dozens injured in Russia after train crashes, overturns - 2
Instructions to Pick the Best Album Rates for Your Investment funds - 3
A Colombian city swaps iconic horse buggies for electric carriages amid animal welfare concerns - 4
Top 10 Moving Style Architects of the Year - 5
Which Kind of Pet Makes the Incomparable Buddy?
Manual for 6 Hot Brilliant Beds
The best movies to watch this holiday season: Stream 'A Christmas Story Christmas,' revisit 'The Night Before' and discover 'The Baltimorons'
The cheap health insurance promoted by Trump officials has this catch
Most loved Occasion Dish: What Makes Your Merry Table?
Visiting This Japanese City Just Got A Little More Expensive (Here's What Travelers Should Know)
The most effective method to Boost Eco-friendliness in Your Volvo XC40
Misremembering might actually be a sign your memory is working optimally
Presenting Nintendo's New Pastel Bliss Con Tones for Switch Gamers: 3 Smart Choices
Yasser Abu Shabab's killing raises questions about Israel's militia strategy in Gaza













