MAVEN Reveals Speed of Solar Wind Stripping Martian Atmosphere

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This image is an artist’s rendering of a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere. Credits: NASA/GSFC
This image is an artist’s rendering of a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet’s upper atmosphere. Credits: NASA/GSFC

Did you miss today’s news about what happened to Mars’ atmosphere? Here’s the recap video:
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NASA’s MAVEN Mission to Mars has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the Martian climate from an early, warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold, arid planet Mars is today. The Martian atmosphere was stripped by solar wind. Details
Mars is a cold and barren desert today, but scientists think that in the ancient past it was warm and wet. The loss of the early Martian atmosphere may have led to this dramatic change, and one of the prime suspects is the solar wind.