NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Reaches Mars
 
Sept. 22, 2014:  NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)
spacecraft successfully entered Mars' orbit at 10:24 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept.
21, where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere as
never done before. MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the
tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars.
 
"As the first orbiter dedicated to studying Mars' upper atmosphere,
MAVEN will greatly improve our understanding of the history of the Martian
atmosphere, how the climate has changed over time, and how that has
influenced the evolution of the surface and the potential habitability of
the planet," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "It also
will better inform a future mission to send humans to the Red Planet in the
2030s."
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4yj7DtQbM&feature=youtu.be
 
This animation depicts MAVEN orbiting Mars. Image credit: NASA
After a 10-month journey, confirmation of successful orbit insertion was
received from MAVEN data observed at the Lockheed Martin operations center
in Littleton, Colorado, as well as from tracking data monitored at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) navigation facility in Pasadena,
California. The telemetry and tracking data were received by NASA's Deep
Space Network antenna station in Canberra, Australia.
 
"NASA has a long history of scientific discovery at Mars and the safe
arrival of MAVEN opens another chapter," said John Grunsfeld,
astronaut and associate administrator of the NASA Science Mission
Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "Maven will
complement NASA's other Martian robotic explorers-and those of our partners
around the globe-to answer some fundamental questions about Mars and life
beyond Earth."
 
Following orbit insertion, MAVEN will begin a six-week commissioning phase
that includes maneuvering into its final science orbit and testing the
instruments and science-mapping commands. MAVEN then will begin its one
Earth-year primary mission, taking measurements of the composition,
structure and escape of gases in Mars' upper atmosphere and its interaction
with the sun and solar wind.
 
"It's taken 11 years from the original concept for MAVEN to now having
a spacecraft in orbit at Mars," said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal
investigator with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the
University of Colorado, Boulder (CU/LASP). "I'm delighted to be here
safely and successfully, and looking forward to starting our science
mission."
 
The primary mission includes five "deep-dip" campaigns, in which
MAVEN's periapsis, or lowest orbit altitude, will be lowered from 93 miles
(150 kilometers) to about 77 miles (125 kilometers). These measurements
will provide information down to where the upper and lower atmospheres
meet, giving scientists a full profile of the upper tier.
 
"This was a very big day for MAVEN," said David Mitchell, MAVEN
project manager from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Maryland.  "We're very excited to join the constellation of spacecraft
in orbit at Mars and on the surface of the Red Planet.  The commissioning
phase will keep the operations team busy for the next six weeks, and then
we'll begin, at last, the science phase of the mission.  Congratulations to
the team for a job well done today."
 
Credits:
Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science{at}NASA
 
More information:
 
MAVEN home page -- NASA
 
MAVEN launched Nov. 18, 2013, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida, carrying three instrument packages. The Particles and Fields
Package, built by the University of California at Berkeley with support
from CU/LASP and Goddard contains six instruments that will characterize
the solar wind and the ionosphere of the planet. The Remote Sensing
Package, built by CU/LASP, will identify characteristics present throughout
the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass
Spectrometer, provided by Goddard, will measure the composition and
isotopes of atomic particles.
 
MAVEN's principal investigator is based at CU/LASP. The university provided
two science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education
and public outreach, for the mission. The University of California at
Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory also provided four science instruments
for the mission. Goddard manages the MAVEN project. Lockheed Martin built
the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. JPL provides
navigation and Deep Space Network support, as well as Electra
telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
 
 
Regards,
 
Roger

--- D'Bridge 3.99