Red Planet Reports - 11/15/15 10:12 AM
NASA launched its MAVEN probe to Mars on November 18, 2013. Its main mission was to find out how Mars changed from a planet with a thick atmosphere that kept it warm, and rivers, lakes and seas. Today's Mars is cold and arid with a very thin atmosphere.
Results released earlier this month show that the transformation began 4.2 billion years ago. That's when the planet's magnetic field was lost. Earth's magnetic field protects us from damaging particles from the Sun, but more importantly it prevents the solar wind from stripping away our atmosphere. Once Mars lost this protection, over a period of 500 million years, it gradually lost its atmosphere.
Once a protective atmosphere is lost, surface water evaporates and is also lost.
Here is an artist's rendering of a solar storm stripping gas particles from the Martian atmosphere.
Results released earlier this month show that the transformation began 4.2 billion years ago. That's when the planet's magnetic field was lost. Earth's magnetic field protects us from damaging particles from the Sun, but more importantly it prevents the solar wind from stripping away our atmosphere. Once Mars lost this protection, over a period of 500 million years, it gradually lost its atmosphere.
Once a protective atmosphere is lost, surface water evaporates and is also lost.
Here is an artist's rendering of a solar storm stripping gas particles from the Martian atmosphere.