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<\/a><\/figure>The first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, NASA\u2019s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), has ended after more than 11 years in orbit at Mars and a decade beyond its primary, one-year mission. The spacecraft was heard last on Dec. 6, when it experienced an unexpected loss of signal after it passed behind the Red Planet.<\/p>\n
NASA will host a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT today, Wednesday, June 3, to discuss MAVEN\u2019s achievements.<\/p>\n
The agency convened an anomaly review board in February to evaluate recovery efforts and assess the spacecraft\u2019s probable current state. The review board has determined that the MAVEN spacecraft is not recoverable, and it is no longer capable of performing its science and data relay mission, which is consistent with the mission team\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
Telemetry from MAVEN prior to the spacecraft\u2019s passage behind Mars in December showed all subsystems working normally. After the spacecraft emerged, NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network (DSN) did not observe a signal. A brief\u00a0fragment\u00a0of telemetry data from analysis of radio signals recorded by the DSN\u2019s open-loop receivers indicated the spacecraft was in safe mode and rotating at an unusually high rate when it emerged from behind Mars, indicating a disruption in MAVEN\u2019s orbit trajectory.\u00a0The review board concluded that due to this rotation, the batteries on the spacecraft had drained, causing the communications system to lose power and rendering MAVEN in an unrecoverable state.<\/p>\n
These preliminary findings do not address a potential root cause for the anomaly, which still is being investigated. The review board is expected to provide its final report later this year. NASA has begun the official process of decommissioning the MAVEN mission, following standard procedures to archive the full mission dataset for the science and exploration communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe science MAVEN has given us is key to informing what kind of radiation protection and safety measures we must take before sending humans to Mars,\u201d said Louise Prockter, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cThe data collected from MAVEN will continue to provide valuable insight into Mars for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Launched in November 2013, the MAVEN mission explored the Red Planet\u2019s upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun to explore the loss of the Martian atmosphere to space. Understanding atmospheric loss gives scientists insight into the history of the planet\u2019s atmosphere and climate, liquid water, and planetary habitability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe MAVEN mission has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution. This dataset has had a tremendous impact on the field,\u201d said Shannon Curry, MAVEN\u2019s principal investigator and a researcher at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. \u201cOur science team is exceptionally proud of all of these amazing discoveries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sun\u2019s impact on Mars<\/strong><\/p>\n One of MAVEN\u2019s first major results was that the erosion of Mars\u2019 atmosphere increases significantly during solar storms<\/a>. The team studied how the solar wind, which is a stream of charged particles continually streaming from the Sun, and solar storms continually strip away Mars\u2019 atmosphere, as well as how this process played a key role in altering the Martian climate from a potentially habitable world to today\u2019s cold, arid planet. The MAVEN mission made unprecedented strides in advancing our understanding of how the Sun and space weather affect Mars, as it was the only spacecraft that could simultaneously take measurements of both the Sun and the Martian atmospheric response.<\/p>\n Martian light shows<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The MAVEN mission discovered several types of auroras<\/a> that light up when energetic particles plunge into the atmosphere, bombarding gases and making them glow. The MAVEN team showed that protons create new kinds of auroras at Mars. On Earth, proton auroras only occur in very small regions near the poles, whereas at Mars they can occur everywhere.<\/p>\n Mars\u2019 atmosphere sputters into space<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n To better understand how Mars lost most of its atmosphere, MAVEN measured atmospheric sputtering<\/a> for the first time at any planet. The team did this by observing argon, which is a noble gas, meaning it rarely reacts with other constituents in the Martian atmosphere. The only significant way it can be removed is by atmospheric sputtering, a process where ions crash into the Martian atmosphere at high enough speeds that they splash gas molecules out of the atmosphere, much like doing a cannonball into a pool. The team used 11 years of data to reveal the presence of sputtered argon at high altitudes in the exact locations that the energetic particles crashed into the atmosphere, showing sputtering in real time.<\/p>\n Understanding Mars\u2019 dusty secrets<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In 2018, a series of dust storms created a dust cloud so large that it enveloped the Red Planet. The MAVEN team studied how this \u201cglobal\u201d dust storm<\/a> affected Mars\u2019 upper atmosphere to understand how these events affected the escape of water to space. It confirmed that heating from dust storms can loft water molecules far higher into the atmosphere than usual, leading to a sudden surge in water lost to space.<\/p>\n Chasing comets<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In addition to Martian science, MAVEN contributed to NASA\u2019s effort to observe comet 3I\/ATLAS at Mars<\/a>. Over the course of 10 days last year, the MAVEN team designed a new observing campaign to capture 3I\/ATLAS by taking multiple images of the comet in several wavelengths, much like using various filters on a camera. Then it snapped high-resolution UV images to identify the hydrogen coming from the comet. By studying a combination of these images, scientists can identify a variety of molecules and better understand the comet\u2019s composition and history.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n During the mission\u2019s lifetime, MAVEN\u2019s science team produced more than 800 publications, and additional publications are planned.<\/p>\n In addition to science, the MAVEN spacecraft was an instrumental player in NASA\u2019s Mars Relay Network<\/a>, communicating data from Mars rovers to Earth. It also holds the solar system record for most data relayed from another planet in a single day.<\/p>\n Audio of today\u2019s media teleconference will stream on the agency\u2019s website at:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/live<\/a><\/p>\n Participants in the teleconference include:<\/p>\n To ask questions by phone, media must RSVP no later than 12 p.m. to: sarah.frazier@nasa.gov<\/a>. NASA\u2019s media accreditation policy<\/a> is available online.<\/p>\n The MAVEN mission is part of NASA\u2019s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. The mission\u2019s principal investigator is based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, which also is responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communications. NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provides navigation and Deep Space Network support. \u00a0<\/p>\n For more information about NASA\u2019s Mars Exploration Program, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-science\/programs\/mars-exploration<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Karen Fox \/ Alana Johnson Sarah Frazier\n
Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 \/ 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
202-853-7191
sarah.frazier@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n