2013 mission will probe Mars water mystery

Mars, once warm enough for liquid water to flow, has lost much of its atmosphere. The main culprit is our sun and its solar winds. But there are other suspects.

Earlier this week, NASA gave the green light to a project that will investigate what is responsible for the loss of the Martian atmosphere.

Set to launch in 2013, MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission) will probe the planet’s past climate, including its potential for harboring life over the ages.

NASA's MAVEN will carry three instrument suites built by the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics to analyze the atmosphere of Mars and its interactions with the sun.