NASA spacecraft finds solar 'cannonballs' may have stripped Mars of its water — proving decades-old theory

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has directly observed sputtering, a process where solar wind particles collide with Mars' upper atmosphere, causing atoms to escape into space. This discovery provides evidence for how Mars lost its thick atmosphere and ability to sustain liquid water. The process occurs at a rate four times higher than previously predicted, especially during solar storms, potentially explaining Mars' transformation from a wet world to a cold desert.