In The Vast Expanse Of Space, A Silence Has Fallen Over NASA’s Maven…Jim Green

On December 6, Maven abruptly ceased communication with ground stations, leaving scientists perplexed. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, launched in 2013, had been orbiting the red planet since September 2014, unraveling the mysteries of the upper Martian atmosphere and its intricate dance with the solar wind.

Maven’s findings had been nothing short of revelatory, pinpointing the sun as the primary culprit behind Mars’ transformation from a warm and wet world to the arid and cold landscape it is today. The spacecraft had also played a crucial role as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance. The sudden ___ of contact with Maven has raised concerns, yet NASA’s fleet of Martian orbiters ___ robust, with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey continuing to transmit valuable data.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, has been capturing breathtaking images of the Martian surface, including the eerie “teddy bear” craters and cracks, as well as the “Star Trek” Starfleet logo etched by wind, lava, and ← →