Solar Wind Strips the Martian Atmosphere

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission and the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) have released joint observations of dynamic proton aurora events at Mars. Remote auroral observations by EMM paired with in-situ plasma observations made by MAVEN open new avenues for understanding the Martian atmosphere. This collaboration was made possible by recent data-sharing between the two missions and highlights the value of multi-point observations in space.Learn more about this discovery by MAVEN and EMM. Comparison of normal and patchy proton aurora formation mechanisms at Mars. Top image shows the normal proton aurora formation mechanism first discovered in 2018. White lines show that solar wind protons traveling away from the Sun are normally swept around the planet by the Mars magnetosphere, and don s upper atmosphere in specific locations that depend on the structure of the turbulence. When incoming solar wind protons collide with the neutral atmosphere, they can be neutralized and emit aurora in localized patches. During such times patchy proton aurora forms a map of the locations where solar wind plasma is directly impacting the planet. Image Credit: Emirates Mars Mission/UAE Space Agency For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/maven-emm-proton-aurora)

Game Day! Join NASA In The Excitement As We Countdown To Landing On The Red Planet After six months, more than 300 million miles and seven precarious minutes... On February 18, NASA begins an epic and unparalleled exploration of Mars with the landing of its newest rover. As the first rover to land on the red planet since 2012, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is the agency’s most ambitious rover yet. The SUV-sized rover will explore Mars in search of signs of ancient life, collect samples of Martian rocks and sediment for future return to Earth, study the planet’s geology and climate, and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon. Throughout all of this, it will also collect the first sounds from the Red Planet, allowing us to hear what Mars sounds like! Perseverance is landing in the most challenging Martian terrain ever targeted: an area known as Jezero Crater. Scientists want to explore and investigate Jezero Crater because they believe it was once filled with flowing water, and perhaps had the right environment that could have supported ancient microbial life. But Jezero is also a dangerous area to land in because it has steep cliffs, sand dunes, and boulder fields. NASA team members will be available for virtual one-on-one interviews on Wednesday, February 17 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST and Thursday, February 18 from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST. The capsule carrying Perseverance enters Mars’s atmosphere at 3:48 p.m. EST and lands at 3:55 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 18. ** Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 ET, etc. Satellite interviews are not available. ** Interviews are available in Spanish**. List of participating scientists will be added next week. To book an interview please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Li4ow3zAXj5FgKQK9 *If you are looking to book a radio or podcast interview, please contact victoria.j.woodburn@nasa.gov or fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/2aE3Kbhsn3udmdjG7 * Please note the following changes to the form:Our preferred video chat program is now Zoom and you will need to provide us with the Zoom link. No IFB interviews will be done. (If you require an IFB please reach out to michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov) All taped radio interviews will be done over Microsoft Teams. We will provide you with the Microsoft Teams link. Suggested Anchor/Host Intro: TOMORROW / TODAY IS THE DAY NASA WILL LAND THE FIRST ROVER ON MARS IN NEARLY A DECADE. PERSEVERANCE WILL SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF LIFE, COLLECT THE FIRST SAMPLES THAT WILL BE RETURNED BY A FUTURE MISSION, AND PAVE THE WAY FOR HUMAN EXPLORERS. JOINING US TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS MISSION IS . Suggested Questions:Perseverance is the first rover to land on Mars since Curiosity in 2012. What makes this rover special?Perseverance is going to an intriguing place on Mars that scientists believe was an ancient lakebed. What will the rover be studying there?I hear that the rover is landing in quite a dangerous part of Mars. What will be going through your mind during the landing?Perseverance will be collecting samples of Martian rock and soil. What will happen to those samples?What are you most looking forward to learning with Perseverance?How can our viewers watch the landing and stay up-to-date on this mission? Questions for longer interviews:I hear the rover also has a sidekick. Can you tell us what Ingenuity is and what it s trying to test for the first time?Thanks to Perseverance, we’re actually going to hear what Mars sounds like for the first time. What are you most excited to hear?How does this mission set the stage for future human missions to Mars?How difficult is it to send a rover to Mars? Click here for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover press kit.Quick link to cut B-ROLL for the LIVE SHOTSQuick link to canned interview with KEITH COMEAUXQuick link to PROMO for Spanish language show Associated b-roll for Mars landing live shots. B-roll is separated by a slate with the question on it. TRT 7:21Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Canned interview with Launch, Cruise, Approach, EDL (LCAE) Mission Manager Keith Comeaux. TRT 6:53. Includes transcript. SOTS are separated by slates with the questions El 18 de febrero, la NASA ofrecerá su primera transmisión en español de un aterrizaje robótico en otro planeta. #JuntosPerseveramos destacará el papel que los profesionales hispanos de la NASA han tenido en el éxito de @NASAPersevere. ¡Te esperamos! Lower thirds graphics for live show in Spanish

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since 2014, observing the planet’s upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind in order to better understand the climate history of Mars.In this visualization, a series of MAVEN’s orbits are shown from March 8-9, 2015. During these orbits, MAVEN’s particles and fields instruments observed the speed and direction of charged particles in the solar wind flowing past Mars – represented as yellow spikes pointing from the planet’s dayside toward its nightside. MAVEN’s magnetometers also recorded variations in the strength and direction of the solar wind’s magnetic field – represented as green spikes at an angle to the charged particle velocities.The solar wind has contributed to the erosion of the Martian atmosphere over time, which has gradually turned Mars from warm and wet to cold and dry. MAVEN is helping scientists to better understand the complex processes that have driven this transition, and which continue to affect the Martian climate today. MAVEN orbits Mars and measures solar particle velocities and variations in the solar wind’s magnetic field. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html)

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since 2014, observing the planet’s upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind in order to better understand the climate history of Mars. The solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles blowing from the Sun at approximately one million miles per hour.This visualization simulates charged particles (ions) in the Mars upper atmosphere interacting with the solar wind and escaping to space. Red and yellow particles represent high-velocity ions that escape the planet, while greens and blues represent low-velocity ions that remain bound to Mars. Time is frozen in the visualization, and a camera move reveals the structure of the system.On Mars’ dayside, the ions follow the contours of the solar wind bow shock; on its nightside they are drawn into a long tail, with a complex internal structure driven by electrical current systems. MAVEN’s elliptical orbit is embedded within the cloud of escaping ions. In this visualization, MAVEN orbits nearly above the Martian terminator – the boundary between the planet’s dayside and its nightside – though the orbit also drifts slowly around Mars.The solar wind has contributed to the erosion of the Martian atmosphere over time, which has gradually turned Mars from warm and wet to cold and dry. MAVEN is helping scientists to better understand the complex processes that have driven this transition, and which continue to affect the Martian climate today. This simulation depicts the solar wind interacting with the Mars upper atmosphere, with MAVEN s orbit embedded. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html)

One of the challenges of terraforming Mars is to increase its atmospheric pressure, which is currently less than 1% that of Earth. The Martian polar caps, minerals, and soil could all provide sources of carbon dioxide and water to thicken the atmosphere. Unfortunately, a new study by the MAVEN science team finds that processing all sources available on Mars would only increase the pressure to about 7% that of Earth, far short of what is needed.Learn more about this finding. Text and Textless Digital Versions of Infographic Text and Textless Print Versions of Infographic Text and Textless Broadcast Versions of Infographic

On Earth, the northern and southern lights occur when the solar wind (electrically charged particles from the Sun) follow our planet s observation of a proton aurora at Mars. ANIMATED GIF - The Martian atmosphere during a proton aurora. ANIMATED GIF - Mars proton aurora with data from the MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) at bottom. Credit: NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado/LASP/Anil Rao ANIMATION - Mars proton aurora with data from the MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) at bottom. Credit: NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado/LASP/Anil RaoWatch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. ANIMATED GIF - Alternate version displaying all charge exchanges. GRAPHIC - Protons from the solar wind approach the Martian upper atmosphere. GRAPHIC - Solar wind protons undergo a series of charge exchanges to slip past the bow shock, causing a proton aurora. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2018/mars-proton-aurora)

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Both are small, airless bodies with irregular shapes. Because they lack protective atmospheres and magnetospheres, Phobos and Deimos are directly exposed to the solar wind for part of their orbits. The solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles constantly blowing off the surface of the sun at about a million miles per hour; as it collides with the moons, it is thought to create complex electrical environments.Now, a simulation by William Farrell of NASA by Pascal Lengagne Graphic of Mars and its moons. Approach to Phobos. Electrical field around Phobos. Graphic of solar wind components. Electrical field around Stickney crater. Future rover on the surface of Phobos. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2017/mars-electric-moons)

Images from MAVEN s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, MAVEN, were used to make this movie of rapid cloud formation on Mars. Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2016/maven-uv-mars)

Ancient regions on Mars bear signs of abundant water - such as features resembling valleys and deltas, and minerals that only form in the presence of liquid water. Scientists think that billions of years ago, the atmosphere of Mars was much denser and warm enough to form rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans of water. As the planet cooled and lost its global magnetic field, the solar wind and solar storms eroded away to space a significant amount of the planet’s atmosphere, turning Mars into the cold, arid desert we see today. The goal of MAVEN is to determine how much of Mars’ atmosphere and water have been lost to space, and how these processes have changed the climate on the Red Planet over its history. Mars transitions from a wet planet early in its history to the dry world that we see today. This animation has been formatted for planetarium full-dome presentations, rendered for unidirectional domes in a variety of resolutions, up to 4K. Artist concept image of an early wet Mars.

A NASA mission reveals how gases in Mars upper atmosphere currently loses roughly a quarter-pound of gas every second. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-mission-reveals-speed-of-solar-wind-stripping-martian-atmosphere)

Today, Mars is a global desert with an atmosphere far too thin to support bodies of flowing water, but evidence shows that Mars was considerably wetter in the ancient past. Scientists think that climate change on Mars was caused by the loss of an early, thick atmosphere, and NASA s ongoing role in the evolution of the Martian climate.Read the full press release about this finding.Watch an excerpt of the MAVEN Mission Briefing. Simulation of the solar wind at Mars compared with MAVEN observations, showing the predicted bow shock. Available for download in up to 4k resolution. Print resolution still of MAVEN observed average solar wind flow (with Mars) Print resolution still of MAVEN observed average solar wind flow (without Mars) For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html)

High above the thin Martian skies, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft is carrying out a mission: determine how Mars lost its early atmosphere, and with it, its water. While previous Mars orbiters have peered down at the planet’s surface, MAVEN is spending part of its time gazing at the stars, looking for subtle changes in their color as they dip through the limb of Mars and set below the horizon. Such stellar occultations reveal what the atmosphere is made of, and how its composition varies with altitude. MAVEN’s observations are providing the most detailed picture of the Mars upper atmosphere to date, helping scientists understand how Mars turned from a warm and wet planet in its youth, into the forbidding desert that we see today. Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky talks about MAVEN’s science observations at Mars.Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here. MAVEN gazes at the setting stars during one of its stellar occultation campaigns. MAVEN campaigns, MAVEN lowers its closest approach to only 125 km above Mars, dipping into the upper atmosphere to measure it in situ. When water molecules are split apart in the Martian atmosphere, the resulting hydrogen atoms escape more easily from the planet than the heavier oxygen atoms. Before MAVEN entered its final science-mapping orbit, it observed carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen at varying altitudes above Mars. The heavier carbon and oxygen atoms cling tightly to Mars, while hydrogen atoms extend far above the planet. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html)

The Martian surface bears ample evidence of flowing water in its youth, from crater lakes and riverbeds to minerals that only form in water. But today Mars is cold and dry, and scientists think that the loss of Mars s MAVEN spacecraft is the first mission devoted to studying the Mars upper atmosphere. Its findings will help scientists understand how Mars lost its early atmosphere, transforming it from a wet planet into the dry world we see today.For complete transcript, click here.Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

Billions of years ago when the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water – a critical ingredient for life. The animation shows how the surface of Mars might have appeared during this ancient clement period, beginning with a flyover of a Martian lake. The artist s concept is based on evidence that Mars was once very different. Rapidly moving clouds suggest the passage of time, and the shift from a warm and wet to a cold and dry climate is shown as the animation progresses. The lakes dry up, while the atmosphere gradually transitions from Earthlike blue skies to the dusty pink and tan hues seen on Mars today. 16x9 format Cinemascope format