NASA’s Mars Maven spacecraft has been declared dead after six months of radio silence. Maven was launched in 2013 to study the red planet’s atmosphere. It fell silent in December after passing behind Mars. NASA confirmed Wednesday that the mission is over. Data indicated that the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained its onboard batteries. A review board convened by NASA earlier this year concluded that the spacecraft is useless and unable to be recovered. Besides studying Martian weather, Maven helped relay information from NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface.





