Oct 19 1989
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(New page: Soviet and western planetary scientists announced results from the Phobos 2 mission to Mars and the moon Phobos. Despite the premature loss of spacecraft transmissions because of a com...)
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Soviet and western planetary scientists announced results from the Phobos 2 mission to Mars and the moon Phobos. Despite the premature loss of spacecraft transmissions because of a computer error, scientists revealed that valuable data had been obtained from the two-month period preceding the loss of communications. The new findings showed that Mars has no magnetic field of its own and that incoming solar particles impact directly with the planet's ionosphere. Researchers hypothesized that the direct interaction between the solar wind and Mars' upper atmosphere may have been responsible for the depletion of the planet's original atmosphere, as ionospheric particles were gradually electrified by the incoming solar particles. The observations suggested that Mars may have had an atmosphere comparable to Earth's during the first billion years after planet formation, and that conditions for the appearance of life may have prevailed during that time. (NY Times, Oct 19/89)
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