Scientists are coming to the conclusion that the Martian atmosphere is slowly and steadily being stripped away by solar wind. The cause? Mars' magnetic field, which is quite different than the magnetosphere here on Earth. David Brain of UC Berkeley, using data from the Mars Global Surveyor, discovered that the Martian magnetic field is in the form of magnetic "umbrellas" that extend from the ground to beyond the atmosphere and cover about 40% of the planet's surface. The MGS discovered that on occasion, the umbrellas connect with the magnetic field of the solar wind and can trap huge chunks of atmosphere in magnetic capsules, or "plasmoids." The pressure from the wind then rips off these plasmoids and sends it out into space.
Solar wind blowing against Mars tears atmosphere-filled plasmoids from the tops of magnetic umbrellas.
Before the mystery is fully solved of what happened to the Martian atmosphere, NASA needs more data and they're planning on sending a new mission to Mars, called MAVEN or Martian Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution in 2013.
The Martian Atmosphere
Why is this important? We'll need to know what happened on Mars before we can attempt any effort to transform it into a planet more suitable for human life. There might not be anything we can do about the Martian magnetic field, but the more we know about what's happening there, the better chance we have. Humans are unique among species in that we don't adapt ourselves to survive in our environment; we adapt our environment in order to survive. That concept will surely extend to other planets if we plan on our long term survival.
For more info: Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere.
That's all!
--->Susan
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