If at one time mars was just 1/4 covered with water/ice it would seem unlikely that so much could vanish.Some have suggested that it is possible a large asteroid or comet can pass close enough to a planet to do this.It would seem though it would have to orbit inside the atmosphear multiple times to achive this and not impact the planet.
2006-07-08 01:30:11 · 3 answers · asked by Van H 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
escape velocity of mars is.. 5.02km/s
so if an asteroid passing near to mars having more escape velocity i.e gravity thn there is possibilty of escape of ice/water..
u can think this idea....CHARON loses its methane by evaporation..some of it is attracted towards pluto
2006-07-08 01:41:22 · answer #1 · answered by Prakash 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever seen ice disappear off of a frozen surface (ie. road, patio, sidewalk)? It's called evaporation. Even in extreme cold conditions evaporation takes place. As the atmosphere of Mars is thin and the gravity less than here on Earth, moisture would be allowed to escape into space. Over several billions of years, what you see today is all that is left. Asteroid and meteorite impact ejections would also contribute to the loss of moisture. If an impact supposedly threw a rock from Mars to Earth, it could surely throw ice and water into space.
2006-07-08 08:47:51 · answer #2 · answered by b s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would just take time for it to happen just like it takes time for tar to fall out of a tin can.
2006-07-08 10:57:45 · answer #3 · answered by Eric X 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋