MAVEN

Orbiter to explore the planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. Of particular interest is the determination of the loss of volatile compounds, now and through the planetary history of Mars, and its influence and effect on the history of Mars' atmosphere and climate. MAVEN's formal official science mission objectives:

• Determine the role of loss of volatiles from Mars' atmosphere through time,
• Determine the current state of Mars' upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the solar wind,
• Determine current escape rates of neutral gas and ions to space, and the controlling processes behind, and
• Determine the rations of stable isotopes that will provide information about Mars' history of loss through time.

Using the opportunity of the 2013/2014 Mars Apparition, MAVEN was successfully launched on November 18, 2013 (18:18 UT), with an Atlas V 401 rocket and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. It arrived at Mars on September 21, 2014, and was successfully inserted into Mars orbit, a 4.5-hour science orbit, inclined 75deg, with a periapsis of 150 km. During its 1-year nominal science mission, it is planned to perform five "deep-dip" maneuvers with a lowered periapsis of only 125 km.

• NSSDC info on Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)
• MAVEN homepage at LASP (Laboratory for Atmosphericand Space Physics), University of Colorado at Boulder
• JPL MAVEN page - MAVEN Program Mission page
• MAVEN mission page (NASA)

Last Modification: November 19, 2013