NASA has finally revealed as to how the once habitable Red Planet transformed into a dry, cold and not so liveable. The US Space Agency on Thursday held that much-awaited conference on Mars revealing some unknown details about the destiny of the red planet.
NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft has disclosed many significant findings of Mars, which has now become the talk of the Earth these days. As per the announcement, Mars, just like the earth, was once warm and wet along with a thick atmosphere to provide protection. The red planet had flowing rivers, along with oceans and lakes.
Well, what made the red planet so cold and distant? The lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program Michael Meyer quoted Bob Dylan and said, “The answer my friend is blowing in the mind.” As per MAVEN’s measurements, solar winds (the charged particles from the Sun) removed ions from Mars. The planet was stripped off the very ingredients essential for supporting life i.e. carbon dioxide and oxygen.
These findings clearly explain that the once habitable planet has suffered a significant atmospheric loss. The same thing could happen to Earth. However, according to NASA, Earth’s magnetic field is providing a cover and such an episode is highly unlikely for planet Earth.
Also, the auroras in Mars are similar to that of the Northern lights on planet Earth. The auroras in Mars are spread out over a larger area. Another discovery reveals that the excessive dust on Mars is probably interplanetary (from another planet).
The MAVEN spacecraft of Mars has been on a mission since the year 2014. The spacecraft was sent to the red planet to study the climate change of Mars in the last 4 billion years. These findings will explain how habitable the red planet really can be.
Image Credit: NASA