Maven, we have a problem: NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars for more than a DECADE
NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars for more than a decade.
The space agency last heard from the Maven (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft as it orbited behind the Red Planet on December 6.
But when Maven emerged, it had ceased all communications with NASA's ground stations.
All of the orbiter's systems were functioning as usual before it disappeared behind Mars as part of its normal orbit, according to NASA's telemetry.
NASA's scientists don't know what caused the disappearance, and it is currently not clear whether the spacecraft can be brought back online.
If Maven is unable to establish communications with Earth, it could put an end to over 10 years of critical scientific work from orbit around the Red Planet.
In a statement, the space agency said: 'The spacecraft and operations teams are investigating the anomaly to address the situation.
'More information will be shared once it becomes available.'
NASA has abruptly lost connection to the Maven spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars for more than a decade
Maven was launched from Earth in 2013 and arrived in Martian orbit on September 21, 2014.
The 800-kilogram (1,784 lbs) craft is equipped with eight pieces of sensitive equipment designed to collect images in the ultraviolet part of the light spectrum.
The mission's goal was to gather data about the planet's upper atmosphere, its interactions with the sun, and to explain how Mars lost its atmosphere to space.
Scientists believe that Mars was once a warm, wet world with lakes and oceans much like those found on Earth.
However, the planet's atmosphere was stripped away over millions of years, gradually transforming Mars into a barren desert.
Maven has been critical in showing that atmospheric loss was an escape route for Mars' water, revealing how it was lifted high into the atmosphere by dust storms, where it can be blown away by solar wind.
The spacecraft has also helped to map Mars' winds, categorise clouds on the red planet, and even discovered an invisible magnetic 'tail'.
More recently, NASA put Maven's equipment to an unexpected new use as the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS made its close pass of Mars.
Maven's ultraviolet images of Mars (pictured) have been critical in showing how the Red Planet lost its water and atmosphere over time
In September, Maven captured the ultraviolet spectrum of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS (pictured), which could help scientists learn more about its origins and evolution
Over the course of 10 days, starting on September 27, Maven used its Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph camera to create unique images of the passing comet.
Although these images didn't look like the high-resolution visible light shots from Earth-based telescopes, they were far more scientifically important.
By looking at the wavelengths of light emerging from the 'coma' of gases around the comet, scientists have been able to analyse its chemical composition.
Further study could reveal more about the comet's origins and evolution in another solar system billions of years away.
However, Maven's sudden disappearance following its encounter with the mysterious interstellar object has sparked a wave of online conspiracy theories.
On X, one paranoid commenter wrote: 'There could be a number of reasons for that, including intercession by an Extraterrestrial Alien Spacecraft to prevent NASA gaining any further information. Just my opinion.'
'3I/ATLAS took it,' another chimed in.
While another conspiracy theorist added: 'Aliens got another one.'
With the disappearance coming so soon after the spacecraft's encounter with 3I/ATLAS, the news has sparked a wave of outlandish conspiracy theories
On X, some commenters suggested that the craft could have been 'taken' by the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, reflecting a scientifically debunked theory that the interstellar object is an alien object
Another conspiracy theorist on X suggested that Maven had been taken by aliens
In addition to its scientific work, Maven also played an important role in the data relay network between NASA's surface rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, and Earth.
The spacecraft going offline could cause some disruptions for the space agencies' ongoing investigations on the Martian surface.
It will, therefore, be very critical for NASA to find out what went wrong with Maven and ensure it does not happen to any other Mars orbiters.
With Maven not responding to communications from Earth, NASA has only two active spacecraft in orbit: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001.
