Ten years ago, on September 21, 2014, NASA's MAVEN spacecraft started orbiting Mars, examining how the planet's atmosphere interacts with the Sun and solar wind. MAVEN has contributed to the understanding of Mars' shift from being warm and wet to cold and dry. The mission persists in investigating Mars' changes in the atmosphere and presence of water in the past, which helps understand its potential for supporting life.
Let us take a peek at MAVEN's successful scientific results on Mars: Atmospheric erosion on Mars | NASA Intense Atmospheric Ablation One major finding of MAVEN was that Mars' atmospheric erosion rises notably during solar storms. The group examined how the solar wind, a constant flow of charged particles emitted by the Sun, and solar storms steadily erode Mars' atmosphere, which has significantly impacted the planet's climate transformation from a once habitable environment to its current cold and dry state. Mars is losing its atmosphere | NASA Atmospheric Sputtering MAVEN measured argon gas isotopes in the upper atmosphere of Mars to gain insight into the planet's atmospheric loss.
Argon is classified as a noble gas, indicating its infrequent interaction with other elements within the atmosphere of Mars. The sole method of removal is through atmospheric sputtering, which involves ions colliding with the Martian atmosphere at high speeds, causing them to dislodge gas molecules. By studying argon isotopes in the upper atmosphere, the MAVEN team determined that .