Data will continue to flow from Mars but will be retransmitted later as well, as some of it could be lost or corrupted, NASA said in a news release. Mars passes behind the sun, as seen from Earth, about every 26 months, an occurrence known as a "Mars solar conjunction." It's something all of NASA's active Mars missions have experienced at least once, the agency said. "All of these spacecraft are now veterans of conjunction," Edwards said. The three orbiters are the Mars Odyssey, the Mars Reconnaissance and the MAVEN, and the two rovers exploring the surface of Mars are the Opportunity and the Curiosity.

Source: The China Post July 19, 2017 06:22 UTC