A Nov. 5 NASA science update highlighted data from NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission that has determined the present rate at .\r<br>\r<br>\r<br>\r<br>Mars is a cold and barren desert today, but scientists think that in the ancient past it was warm and wet. The loss of the early Martian atmosphere may have led to .\r<br>\r<br>The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, scheduled for launch in November 2013, will be the first mission devoted to understanding the .\r<br>\r<br>The solar wind accelerates ions from the Mars upper atmosphere into space. Today, Mars is a global desert with an atmosphere far too thin to support bodies of .
