NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter with both solar arrays fully deployed at Lockheed Martin’s RAL facility near Denver.
Photo: Lockheed Martin
NASA’s MAVEN orbiter set to launch
on quest to study Mars atmosphere
By Ken Kremer
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN
Mission) is NASA’s next mission to Mars. After a decade
of hard work by dedicated science and engineering
teams, it is scheduled to lift off on Nov. 18, 2013 from
Cape Canaveral, Florida on an Atlas V 401 rocket.
The 903 kilogram (2000 pound) probe will arrive at
the Red Planet in September 2014 after a 10 month
interplanetary voyage.
It is the first spacecraft from Earth devoted to
investigating and understanding the upper atmosphere
of Mars. The purpose is to study specific processes and
determine how and why Mars lost virtually all of its
atmosphere billions of years ago and what effect that
had on the history of climate change and habitability.
“MAVEN’s goal is determining the composition of
the ancient Martian atmosphere and when it was lost,
where did all the water go and how and when was it
lost,” said Bruce Jakosky in an interview at the Kennedy
Space Center. Jakosky, of the University of Colorado at
Boulder, is the MAVEN Principal Investigator.
Scientists hope measurements from MAVEN’s suite
of nine science instruments will help answer critical
questions like whether the Martian atmosphere was
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once substantial enough to sustain liquid water on its
surface and support life.
I personally inspected MAVEN inside the clean room
at the Kennedy Space Center with chief scientist
Bruce Jakosky, just prior to the partial shutdown of
the US government on Oct. 1. In an ultra rare viewing
opportunity the solar panels were fully unfurled.
“MAVEN is on schedule and under budget” said
Jakosky in an interview as we stood a meter away
from the nearly fully assembled spacecraft. “The solar
panels look exactly as they will be when MAVEN is flying
in space and around Mars. To be here with MAVEN is
breathtaking. Its laid out in a way that was spectacular
to see!”
The US government shutdown temporarily stopped
all work but the mission was granted an “emergency
exemption” after three days of no work.
“We are working toward being ready to launch on
Nov. 18,” Jakosky told me. “We think it’s very feasible.”
MAVEN’s finding are key to understanding when and
for how long Mars was much more Earth-like compared
to today’s desiccated Red Planet.
“The major questions about the history of Mars
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