Comet 3I/ATLAS: NASA Loses Contact With MAVEN Claims It Cannot Release Photos of Comet

NASA has lost contact with its Mars orbiter, MAVEN, just weeks after the spacecraft gathered critical data during a close fly-by of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The sudden silence from the veteran spacecraft has fuelled speculation that crucial images of the mysterious object may now be inaccessible.

The orbiter, which has been operational since 2014, failed to re-establish communication with the Deep Space Network on 6 December following a routine occultation behind Mars. The timing has raised questions, as MAVEN was in a prime position to observe the comet, only the third interstellar object ever detected in our solar system.

A Sudden and Suspicious Silence

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft has been circling the Red Planet since 2014, making it a reliable fixture in space exploration. However, following a routine occultation, where the orbiter passed behind Mars and communication with Earth was temporarily cut off, MAVEN failed to re-establish contact. When it reappeared, according to the original broadcast, there was only silence.

The sudden loss of signal has immediately raised eyebrows in the scientific community. On 2 October, MAVEN made its most valuable recent contribution: gathering data from the passage of Comet 3I/ATLAS, which passed within 30 million kilometres of Mars. MAVEN, having been perfectly functional prior to the communication failure, was in the ideal position to observe and photograph the enigmatic comet.

The Missing Photos and Unanswered Questions

This sudden silence means that crucial data gathered during the fly-by may now be inaccessible. One source directly addressed this suspicion, stating: 'MAVEN theoretically would have taken photos of 3I/ATLAS. Is that correct? Yes, it did already and we saw some data from it.'

The follow-up claim is even more alarming: 'And NASA now claims all of a sudden MAVEN is gone. We don't have contact with MAVEN, meaning we can't release those photos publicly.'

While NASA asserts that spacecraft anomalies are a known risk in deep space exploration, the timing has led some commentators to suggest the communication failure is being used as a reason to withhold the photos. A 10-year veteran orbiter vanished just after it successfully recorded the most anticipated celestial event of the year, particularly one that is already 'defying expectations'.

The comet itself has proven to be an anomaly. Scientists are particularly interested in the gas jets it emits, one of which is reportedly flowing towards the sun—a surprising and highly unusual phenomenon.

Analysing the speed and composition of those jets is crucial, as it could confirm whether they are merely pockets of ice sublimating when exposed to sunlight, 'or perhaps some technological thrusters'. The loss of MAVEN's high-resolution images and atmospheric data from its close Martian vantage point is a significant blow to this investigation.

Global Scrutiny Continues

Despite the MAVEN blackout, the pursuit of data on 3I/ATLAS is far from over. The interstellar comet is set to make its closest approach to Earth on 19 December.

Astronomers are expecting a significant amount of new, high-quality information. The fact that the new moon will occur on that same night is described as a 'very fortunate coincidence' as it means 'there wouldn't be any moonlight contaminating the images that we get'.

This near-Earth passage ensures that the data will not be controlled by any single agency. 'There are hundreds of observatories around the globe that will observe it,' one source notes.

The highly sensitive Webb Telescope and the venerable Hubble Telescope will both be trained on the object. The source is confident that 'There are too many telescopes available for anyone to block that data.'

Scientists are eager to finally determine the nature of 3I/ATLAS as it travels on its path out of the solar system. The data gathered from the Webb and Hubble telescopes will be vital for understanding the peculiar behaviour of the comet's anti-tail, which, according to recent images, is unexpectedly large.

The ongoing investigation into the mysterious object continues, but for now, the fate of the 10-year-old MAVEN probe and the photos it took of the comet remain a deeply unsettling mystery.