Posted on 10/05/2010 6:41:11 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US space agency NASA announced Tuesday it has given the green light to a mission to Mars aimed at investigating the mystery of how the "red planet" lost its atmosphere.
NASA gave the approval Monday for "the development and 2013 launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission," the agency said in a statement, noting that the project may also show Mars' history of supporting life.
"A better understanding of the upper atmosphere and the role that escape to space has played is required to plug a major hole in our understanding of Mars," said MAVEN's lead investigator Bruce Jakosky of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
"We're really excited about having the opportunity to address these fundamental science questions," he added.
Three main scientific instruments will be launched to Earth's neighbor aboard a craft in November 2013 as part of the 438-million-dollar project.
Clues on Mars' surface, including features that resemble ancient riverbeds and minerals that could only form in the presence of liquid water, suggest the planet "once had a denser atmosphere, which supported the presence of liquid water on the surface," said NASA.
However, most of the Martian atmosphere was lost as part of a dramatic climate shift.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The sort of thing NASA should be doing.
I’ve read about the lack of internal magnetic interference and subsequent solar wind issues as well. It seems a ‘chicken or the egg thing’ to me. The planet is too small to hold on. Protecting what it has... we will, as humans, see I think.
The composition of our own core on earth is not entirely settled. The action and motion of it is being studied as we speak. It might be a bit premature to consider the effects on Mars, just my opinion.
Nice to see some intelligent thoughtful answers on a thread like this for once.
How about Hale Crater. What is there that NASA is afraid to look at?
Getting them there, that’s one thing.
Getting them back - that’s the big kahuna!!
MAVEN - Moslem Anti-Violence Exterminating Nations
Well golly-gee whillickers then, I'm terribly TERRIBLY worried about their self-esteem. If we visit Mars without them, they might (MIGHT?) consider that "unIslamic" or some other type of offense and blow us up.
Ah, not to worry. Like Mr. Linda Douglas said, I too sure sleep better knowing that the Lord of the Flies is president, or something...
/vomit
30 comments and not one “Uranus” joke. Excellent self control people!..er...never mind.
Thanks for the pixs. It adds to the subject. Those trcaks alomst look like some stange script.. better leave that for Noory’s Tzone show and his midnbight creepy crawlies
No Uranus jokes? Well, I’ll have to remedy that..
Scientists have recently discovered that there are noxious gases spewing from Uranus. In a related story, scientists have reported that Uranus is four times the size of Earth.
Serious note- I don’t see why anyone cares about these outerspace missions. Why are we wasting money on this nonsense? Who cares at all about Mars or the Moon. We went to the Moon, there was nothing there. Lets say that we find life on Mars. Big deal, then what. With all that needs to be done on Earth, why spend a single dollar on space? If some entrepreneur wants to spend his money to go to Mars or the Moon, fine. I think its an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars to spend anything at all on outerspace.
Liberals are usually the ones that complain about “the people” use the “NASA monies” on the people. I say, let's spend more monies on NASA and help our society with technology, etc. So next time you are on your computer, surfing Freerepublic and the Internet, say Thank you NASA, Just saying !!
It's all caused by pollution from earth because of cow farts, SUVs and light bulbs.
Let's pretend for a moment they could really find an answer...SO what? Even if they knew THE REAL answer, what could they do about it?
They aren't fooling me anymore. They already have THEIR answer...Just wait.
WASTE
We Are Sick of Tax monEy pissed away....
Your turn
Does Uranus emit gases?
Sorry, missed post 33.
I know well the achievements of NASA, and I am especially versed on its role in the Cold War. However, I do not see NASA as a relevant need in our society today, instead it is nothing but a relic of that Cold War. I frown upon anything that increases the size of the federal government and NASA is a gigantic money sink. I firmly believe that anything the federal government can do can be done faster and cheaper by private industry. The federal government needs to get out of the way and allow private industry to fill the void.
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