Mars And Venus Are Surprisingly Similar

MARSDAILY

Venus is as large as Earth and it is difficult for its atmosphere to escape due to the planet's gravity. The solar wind is the best source of energy to accelerate the upper atmosphere's charged particles, giving them enough energy to escape. This is why Venus loses its atmosphere due to interaction with the solar wind.

by Staff Writers
Paris, France (ESA) Mar 06, 2008
Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give scientists the data they need to investigate the evolution of the two planets' atmospheres.

Scientists call this work comparative planetology. Mars Express and Venus Express are so good at it because they carry very similar science instruments. In the case of the Analyser of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA), they are virtually identical. This allows scientists to make direct comparisons between the two planets.

The new results probe directly into the magnetic regions behind the planets, which are the predominant channels through which electrically-charged particles escape. They also present the first detection of whole atoms escaping from the atmosphere of Venus, and show that the rate of escape rose by ten times on Mars when a solar storm struck in December 2006.

By observing the current rates of loss of the two atmospheres, planetary scientists hope that they will be able to turn back the clock and understand what they were like in the past. The results can potentially help understand the evolution of planetary climates.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

MARSDAILY

Mars Express One Of Three Orbiters Preparing For Phoenix Landing

Paris, France (ESA) Feb 29, 2008
A trio of NASA and ESA spacecraft orbiting Mars are preparing for the 25 May arrival of NASA's Phoenix lander. ESA's Mars Express has already started adjusting its orbit to provide critical back-up monitoring of Phoenix.

ENERGY TECH China's biggest oil producer in talks with Qatar: report 21 grants awarded for biomass research Latin America could become biofuel player CeBIT tech fair presents gadgets both hot and weird	CIVIL NUCLEAR US pushes India on nuclear deal Lithuania wants energy security high on EU summit agenda Toshiba, IHI in talks over nuclear plant tie-up: report Reactors still down after massive Florida power outage: officials
BLUE SKY Scientists Identify Origin Of Hiss In Upper Atmosphere NASA Co-Sponsors Ocean Voyage To Probe Climate-Relevant Gases Satellite Data To Deliver State-Of-The-Art Air Quality Information New Model Revises Estimates Of Terrestrial Carbon Dioxide Uptake	WOOD PILE Researcher: Wild California just a memory Brazil unveils campaign against Amazon loggers Brazilian police in huge crackdown on Amazon deforestation Amazon Corridors Far Too Narrow
FARM NEWS China to strive for safer products: PM Wen France proposes tougher EU rules for modified crops JT to raise own food production after dumpling scare Genetic code of corn cracked	CAR TECH Merkel suggests France, Germany deal on car emissions Greens trump gas-guzzlers at Geneva Auto Show France, Germany at odds over EU car emissions targets Virgin Atlantic To Offer Zero-Emissions GM Hydrogen Fuel Cell Limousines
AEROSPACE Environmentalists climb on Heathrow jet in airport protest: officials NASA opens a rotary wing research project All-star line-up at first Singapore Airshow Military Aircraft To Perform Aviation Safety Research	NUCLEAR SPACE Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2 Outside View: Nuclear future in space Nuclear Power In Space

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement