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.

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.

INTERNET SPACE Google stock price sinks on Internet ad-slump fears HP And Qualcomm To Deliver Options For Worldwide Internet Access Google's Android debuts in Barcelona Nokia says to launch touch-screen phone in late '08	LAUNCH PAD ILS To Launch Two SIRIUS Radio Satellite On Proton Breeze M Ariane 5 Star One C2 Satellite Launch Campaign Underway ILS Announces Contract To Launch Two Sirius Satellite Radio Spacecraft On Proton Breeze M Arianespace Prepares For Its First Two Ariane 5 Missions Of 2008
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	MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS Northrop Grumman Delivers Payload Module For Second Advanced EHF Military Communications Satellite Orbital Awarded Contract For System F6 Satellite Program By DARPA Lockheed Martin Completes Rigorous Test Of First Advanced Military Communications Satellite Northrop Grumman And Harris Demonstrate Airborne Networking
TECH SPACE Europe's GEANT computer network extends its reach Siberian Shepherd Seeks A Million Rubles Over Rocket Fragment Fall Boeing Satellites Reach 2500 Years Of Accumulated On Orbit Services Satellite Debris Analysis Indicates Hydrazine Tank Hit	APPOINTMENTS NASA Names John Shannon New Space Shuttle Manager Michael Larkin Appointed Executive Vice President Of Orbital's Satellite Business Unit Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Looks To Future With Leadership Changes Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Names Carey VP For ISR Systems
EARTH OBSERVATION Falcon Investigates Pollution From The Dakar Metropolis Into Desert Dust Layers NASA Extends Mission For Ball Aerospace-Built ICESat CIRA Scientist Among Authors Of Book Celebrating 50 Years Of Earth Observations From Space Indonesia To Develop New EO Satellite	GPS NEWS Trimble Introduces Flexible GNSS Mapping And GIS Solution SatNAV Start-Up Companies At CeBIT 2008 Radar Satellite Provides Clear View Of Traffic Even In Dark And Fog Columbus Brings New Personal Navigation Solution To Outdoor Tourism

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. 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 Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement