The MAVEN probe has found out the reasons for the evaporation of all water from Mars

Previously, the climate of Mars was warm and humid: in some ways it resembled that of Earth. However, after a while all the water

evaporated from the Red Planet into space, and this process continues. According to the generally accepted theory, water first disintegrated into hydrogen molecules, and only then these molecules evaporated into space.

In the past, few people believed that watermay exist in the upper atmosphere of Mars. Our calculations show that over the last billion years, this part of the planet’s air shell has lost enough water to cover its surface with an ocean 44 cm thick. Mars lost another 17 cm of water due to dust storms. 

Research text

Based on data from the MAVEN orbital probe(Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN), scientists have put forward a new hypothesis why Mars suddenly became lifeless. Analyzing information from the station, the authors of the article realized that water molecules somehow slip through the protective atmospheric barrier much more easily than previously thought.

They suggested that somewhere at an altitude of 50-60 kmand higher, where the so-called gygropause is located, this barrier protects the earth's water, keeping it in the clouds and not allowing hydrogen to "escape" into space.

Scientists using the instruments of the MAVEN probe found outwhere is the hygropause and the typical amount of water on either side of it. It turned out that it was not at all impenetrable to water vapor. Accordingly, liquid is present in the upper layers of the atmosphere of Mars throughout the year. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, its concentration increased sharply in the summer in the southern hemisphere of Mars and during powerful dust storms.

Based on this, it was concluded that water fromMars enters space directly. It rises to the upper layers of its atmosphere, where it begins to interact with cosmic rays and the solar wind. The next step in studying the planet will be to work to find the exact or approximate time period when this process began. 

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