Why NASA's MAVEN mission matters

Dr Jaydeep Mukherjee

Q. Why is it important to study and solve Mars’ climate mystery? How would an understanding via the MAVEN mission help gauge Earth’s changing climate?
A. The present Mars atmosphere is composed almost entirely of CO2 and is about 1% as thick as the Earth’s atmosphere. However, observations and data from a number of missions suggest that this was not always the case. Images show features that were formed by liquid water and if liquid water was present early on in Mars’ history, perhaps life also existed. Scientists seek to understand why the early, warm, wet Martian climate became today’s cold and dry climate.
Understanding why Mars lost all its water and atmosphere might not help in understanding Earth’s climate change on a small time scale, but will give us an idea of how a planet may lose its atmosphere and water over a long period of time.