"In this new study using MAVEN/IUVS data from multiple Mars years, the team has found that periods of increased atmospheric escape correspond with increases in proton aurora occurrence and intensity," said Andréa Hughes of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hughes is lead author of a paper on this research published December 12 in the Journal of Geophysical Research : Space Physics .
Proton aurora form when solar wind protons (which are hydrogen atoms stripped of their lone electrons by intense heat) interact with the upper atmosphere on the dayside of Mars. As they approach Mars, the protons coming in with the solar wind transform into neutral atoms by stealing electrons from hydrogen atoms in the outer edge of the Martian hydrogen corona, a huge cloud of hydrogen surrounding the planet.
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For the first time: Mapping the winds of mars' upper atmosphere with MAVEN | EurekAlert!
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has allowed researchers to map the winds that blow high above the red planet's surface, reports a new study, which measures the global circulation of Mars' upper atmosphere for the first time. The results inform our understanding of how Mars lost most of its ancient atmosphere and provide a useful comparison for understanding Earth's upper atmosphere.
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Designing Future Firsts for Mars - Meet JPL Interns | NASA/JPL Edu
'Marsquakes' reveal red planet's hidden geology
The Mars InSight lander's seismometer contains three extremely sensitive sensors nestled inside a dome to protect them from wind. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The marsquakes are coming fast and furious. From its landing site near the Martian equator, NASA's InSight mission is detecting about two quakes per day — and the rate is going up.
"We have a lot," said Bruce Banerdt, a geophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and InSight's principal investigator. He reported the findings on 12 December at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, California.
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Experts on Earth Could Support Astronaut-Scientists on Mars, if They Team Up from the Start -
Two BASALT project researchers take on the role of astronauts exploring Mars to collect scientific samples, during a simulated human space mission in 2016. Conducted on Hawaii's volcanic terrain, which bears similarities to landscapes on Mars, this research is designing and developing elements of future missions. Credits: NASA
A scene that first played out on the Moon in 1972 happened again, years later, in Hawaii. While exploring the lunar surface, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt spotted some bright orange soil - an important clue about the Moon's volcanic history. You can hear the excitement in his voice in recordings, but mission control in Houston couldn't see what was so remarkable in the video beamed back to Earth.
NASA Discovered Easy To Access Water Ice On Mars. Here's Why That Matters
This map shows underground water ice on Mars. Cool colors represent less than one foot below the ... [+] surface; warm colors are over two feet deep. The black zones on the map represent areas where a landing spacecraft would encounter dust. The outlined box represents an ideal region to send astronauts to have easy access to ice.
Humanity is a curious species. We have explored the lands of the globe, climbed high peaks, and dived to the bottom of the ocean. There is no place on Earth that intrepid adventurers have not passed through, if only for a little while. But space is different. Space, as the saying goes, is the final frontier. Only twelve men have landed on a different celestial body (i.e.
NASA Probe Charts Wind Circulation in Mars' Upper Atmosphere
(CN) – A NASA spacecraft recently achieved the remarkable feat of mapping the elusive winds that blow high above the surface of Mars – providing astronomers long-sought data for the first time in history, according to a new study.
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiting spacecraft (MAVEN) is designed to measure the global circulation of Mars' upper atmosphere. Designed by various branches of the NASA space program, it was launched in November 2013 and reached Mars' orbit in September the following year.
Happening on Twitter
Newfound Martian #aurora actually the most common; sheds light on Mars' changing climate @NASA https://t.co/BQMsSaPXUk physorg_com Fri Dec 13 17:15:00 +0000 2019
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