Originally posted by TheLordofMurder
[b]Red Alert; physics background detects a failure in the quoted field and must respond to the error immediately (off topic):Mars in NOT the smallest planet possible capable of supporting an atmosphere (even the dwarf planet Pluto supports a tenuous atmosphere); there are even moons in our very solar system less massive than Mars that support atmospheres...
A powerful, global, magnetic field is far more important than mass when it comes to supporting an atmosphere; if a world lacks the ability to fend off a stars solar wind, it will eventually be completely stripped of its atmosphere regardless of the mass it possesses... [/B]
We are referring to a thick and visible atmosphere as the panel shows. It was at least Mars size minimum.
And false, to your solar wind theory. Mars has basically no magnetic field as well as Venus. The solar wind has been stripping them for billions of years (in the case of Venus it has been swapping gases with ionized particles).