MAVEN sees metal in the Martian atmosphere

MAVEN sees metal in the Martian atmosphere

The NASA MAVEN spacecraft found high-energy charged metal atoms in the Martian atmosphere.

This was reported by Joseph Grebovsky from the Center for Space Flight, adding: “Metal ions exist for a very long time and can be transported over long distances by neutral winds and electric fields from the original formation region. Therefore, they can be used to determine the motion in the ionosphere. ”

The goal of MAVEN is to find out why the Red Planet has lost a significant part of the air, having turned from a potential source of life into a dry desert. The team believes that awareness of ionospheric activity will help find the answer.

Metal comes from constant meteorite strikes on the planet. When falling at such a speed, the meteorite evaporates, and metal atoms receive a part of electrons, from which other charged atoms and molecules “refused” within the ionosphere. Therefore, the metal atoms are transformed into electrically charged ions.

In the past two years, the device has found ions of iron, sodium and magnesium in the upper atmospheric layers. This suggests that metal ions are not a temporary, but a permanent phenomenon. Researchers also believe that meteor dust (causing meteor shower) is common to the entire system, so metal ions can be present on all planets and satellites. The probes were able to find them above the Earth. There was also evidence of the presence of metal ions at other sites when the signal from the device disappeared for some time (metal ions can be blocked). But this event is remarkable in that MAVEN became the first device that was able to prove the constant presence of these ions on the Red Planet.

They differ from earthly counterparts. The earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that smoothes them in layers. But on Mars, the magnetic field is present in separate areas, where the ions are concentrated. It is not yet clear whether they can influence the creation or behavior of high-altitude clouds. But an in-depth study of meteoric ions on Earth and Mars will help predict how dust will affect systems that have not yet been studied.

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