Story highlights NASA revealed Thursday that solar wind has stripped away Mars' atmosphere

The findings may give clues into what we can expect for Earth

(CNN) We now know more about what happened to Mars' climate.

NASA announced on Thursday several major scientific findings by its MAVEN spacecraft that reveal significant details on the fate of the Martian atmosphere.

Scientists have known that billions of years ago, Mars was a wet, warm planet with a thick atmosphere that protected it. The Martian landscape once had water flowing through its long rivers that spilled out into lakes and oceans.

That world is a stark contrast to the dry and bitter cold planet we know it as today. The question researchers have pondered for ages is: What happened to cause such a major transformation?

"Quoting Bob Dylan: 'The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,' " said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarter during the announcement.

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