It's official: Mars' atmosphere was stripped away by solar winds

...we now know that Mars' atmosphere was stripped by solar winds, which blast out from the Sun at around a million miles per hour. Earth is protected from these by our magnetic field, but Mars no longer has one, and so the ions in its once rich atmosphere were stripped away by the Sun and blasted out of the Solar System.

It's official: Mars' atmosphere was stripped away by solar winds

Here's an additional link-

ABC News

NASA's understanding of Mars continues to deepen with new data released today that may explain why the Red Planet's atmosphere is so thin, cold and desolate.

During the one year that NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has been studying Mars, the spacecraft found solar flares are stripping away atoms in its atmosphere, particularly on the side of the planet facing the sun, according to a study published today in "Science."

The Live announcement just happened, so any time now there should be additional reports exploring the findings.

I didn't see anything on ATS so I thought I would get it up here.

I guess that's why we had to leave Mars and come to Earth. :-) See, I'm no expert, so I will leave the analysis to our local Mars scholars.

Sky News just went over to their science correspondent and he looked pretty deflated by the news.

They built up this announcement and I think he was expecting something bigger, he was very non-plussed by it.

if only Tesla was alive today, he would be figuring out a way to rebuild Mars magnetic field.

This is very significant news because our own magnetic field is getting weaker.

For most of the NASA robots on and around Mars, March 8, 2015 was just another Sunday. As the red planet continued its slow march around the sun, a burst of solar material buffeted the atmosphere. No big deal—such changes in solar weather are pretty common. or most of the NASA robots on and around Mars, March 8, 2015 was just another Sunday. As the red planet continued its slow march around the sun, a burst of solar material buffeted the atmosphere. No big deal—such changes in solar weather are pretty common.

But for one orbiting probe, March 8 was a day of Martian history in the making.

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission was watching closely as the solar outburst stripped away some of the planet's already thin atmosphere. Its observations back up scientists' suspicions that solar activity is a major player in shaping Mars's atmosphere, a finding that is even more exciting when viewed with an extremely patient eye.

That’s because billions of years ago, the young sun was thought to be much more active, spewing out solar storms more often and with more intensity than it does now. Given this new understanding of how the sun affects Mars, it seems likely that a stormy adolescent sun could be the reason Mars went from warm and wet to the chilly, barren world we see today.

Smithsonian

Our earth is changing dramatically from climate change. Does this prove that it's not due to humans or does it prove that Mars had a population that caused the same change that we're going through now?

originally posted by: nonjudgementalist
This is very significant news because our own magnetic field is getting weaker.

If our magnetic field was gone tomorrow it would still take millions and millions of years to strip away our atmosphere to the point where it would threaten our existence.

Is the confirmation breaking news?

I thought it's been common knowledge for the past twenty or thirty years that the lack of a strong magnetic field is what cost our red neighbor their atmosphere...I never knew it wasn't a confirmed thing and just a theory. How many millions of NASA funds went to confirming what they already knew?

originally posted by: nonjudgementalist
This is very significant news because our own magnetic field is getting weaker.

I honestly think that magnetism is something that needs to be studied deeply. The same with gravity. We can observe and reproduce the effects on a small scale, but still have little clue as to what these forces are.

originally posted by: the owlbear
Is the confirmation breaking news?

I thought it's been common knowledge for the past twenty or thirty years that the lack of a strong magnetic field is what cost our red neighbor their atmosphere...I never knew it wasn't a confirmed thing and just a theory. How many millions of NASA funds went to confirming what they already knew?

More like $Billions.

That's the cost of discovery in our solar system and beyond.

I don't even know why we are looking for another planet, when we can't take care of the one we inhabit.

So can we deduce from this that all Mars sized planets are doomed early on or did our Mars lose its magnetic field through unusual circumstances ?

originally posted by: projectvxn

originally posted by: nonjudgementalist
This is very significant news because our own magnetic field is getting weaker.

If our magnetic field was gone tomorrow it would still take millions and millions of years to strip away our atmosphere to the point where it would threaten our existence.

Phewwww... I should be long gone by then

a reply to: gortex

From what we are told, I guess it does.

A small planet with a weakening magnetic field, blasted to death by Sol.

Edit - liking the Avatar Gortex.

originally posted by: the owlbear
Is the confirmation breaking news?

I thought it's been common knowledge for the past twenty or thirty years that the lack of a strong magnetic field is what cost our red neighbor their atmosphere...I never knew it wasn't a confirmed thing and just a theory. How many millions of NASA funds went to confirming what they already knew?

I think because they were able to observe what was once a theory...but again, I am no expert.

Check out the Smithsonian link-

But for one orbiting probe, March 8 was a day of Martian history in the making.

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission was watching closely as the solar outburst stripped away some of the planet's already thin atmosphere. Its observations back up scientists' suspicions that solar activity is a major player in shaping Mars's atmosphere, a finding that is even more exciting when viewed with an extremely patient eye.

Smithsonian

originally posted by: projectvxn

originally posted by: nonjudgementalist
This is very significant news because our own magnetic field is getting weaker.

If our magnetic field was gone tomorrow it would still take millions and millions of years to strip away our atmosphere to the point where it would threaten our existence.

Well, the atmosphere would be the least of our worries if the solar wind and cosmic rays were were raining down on us unmitigated.

Obviously, those silly Martians didn't raise their taxes high or fast enough to save their planet.

a reply to: raedar

And we didnt already know this?

Nasa sure do know how to create an anti-climax... ill give em that much!

a reply to: greencmp

Our atmosphere absorbs much of the cosmic radiation we are bombarded with on a regular basis. Most of it being absorbed by the Nitrogen that makes up 70% of our atmosphere, and Oxygen which also absorbs this radiation. Our magnetic field generally does protect us from solar radiation, and without it we would need to alter how we spend our days.

This does not mean it would kill us...And taxes, like with most things, wouldn't help much at all.

originally posted by: combatmaster
a reply to: raedar

And we didnt already know this?

Nasa sure do know how to create an anti-climax... ill give em that much!

That's what the Sky's science correspondent's face looked like. Like a man who thought he was on a promise, only for his thoughts to be dashed.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: greencmp

Our atmosphere absorbs much of the cosmic radiation we are bombarded with on a regular basis. Most of it being absorbed by the Nitrogen that makes up 70% of our atmosphere, and Oxygen which also absorbs this radiation. Our magnetic field generally does protect us from solar radiation, and without it we would need to alter how we spend our days.

This does not mean it would kill us...And taxes, like with most things, wouldn't help much at all.

I'll be a monkey's uncle, it looks like you're right. Up to 10 GeV apparently though, lower energy products do make it through.

a reply to: raedar

I trust nothing NASA says, and ABC News even less.

They (NASA) have failed too many times recently in advising of apperance of and incoming meteors, asteroids, etc. Because...they didn't see them coming. Russia and Iran both have experienced damage from unannounced, incoming meteors.

As I live on planet Earth, and will never relocate to Mars willingly, I would rather my tax dollars are spent keeping Earth safe first, exploration second.

NEAR Earth Objects and Extinction Level Events are more important than the lack of atmosphere on Mars, IMO.