Solar Storms May Have Rid Mars of Water
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Solar storms might have torn away the water that used to cover parts of Mars, NASA scientists said Thursday.
Astronomers think Mars once had oceans that disappeared about 3.5 billion years ago. Researchers said repeated buffeting by solar storms could have ripped away Mars’ watery veil. Unlike Earth, which has a protective magnetosphere that guards the planet against high-energy particles, Mars has only isolated zones of protection.
