TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND: MAVEN (Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN)

Thursday, November 07, 2013

MAVEN (Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN)

Now to follow MAVEN.

-LRK-

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http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/future/maven/

MAVEN

Spacecraft
Launch Window: Nov. 18-Dec. 7, 2013
Mars Orbit Insertion: ~Sept. 22, 2014

Overview

MAVEN (Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN) is the second mission selected for NASA's Mars Scout program, an initiative for smaller, low-cost, competed missions led by a principal investigator. Responsive to high-priority science goals listed in the National Academy of Science's 2003 decadal survey on planetary exploration,

MAVEN will obtain critical measurements of the Martian atmosphere to help understand dramatic climate change on the red planet over its history.

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And not all that much at NASA unless you try the links there.

- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/#.UnwSOPmTiSo

MAVEN: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN

Answers About Mars Climate History

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, scheduled for launch in late 2013, will be the first mission devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.

The goal of MAVEN is to determine the role that loss of atmospheric gas to space played in changing the Martian climate through time. Where did the atmosphere – and the water – go?

MAVEN will determine how much of the Martian atmosphere has been lost over time by measuring the current rate of escape to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes to allow extrapolation backward in time

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Launch window opens Nov. 18, 1:28 PM EST

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http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/

MAVEN

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), set to launch in 2013, will explore the planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. Scientists will use MAVEN data to determine the role that loss of volatile compounds, such as CO2, N2, and H2O, from the Mars atmosphere to space has played over time, giving insight into the history of Mars atmosphere and climate, liquid water, and planetary habitability.

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MAVEN at NASA SCINCE.

- LRK -

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http://science.nasa.gov/missions/maven/

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MAVEN will carry three instrument suites. The Particles and Fields Package, built by the University of California at Berkeley with support from CU/LASP and Goddard Space Flight Center, contains six instruments that will characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of the planet. The Remote Sensing Package, built by CU/LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, provided by Goddard Space Flight Center, will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions. Lockheed Martin, based in Littleton, Colorado, will provide the MAVEN spacecraft, as well as mission operations for the mission. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will navigate the spacecraft. CU/LASP will provide science operations and data packaging.

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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -