MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

Midoshi · 2013-11-12 18:34:18

The launch window for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission from Cape Canaveral opens on November 18th at 1:28pm EST. Growing out of a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California Berkeley, MAVEN is a New Frontiers mission which aims to understand how Mars' upper atmosphere is being lost to space and how this has impacted the evolution of the Martian climate over the history of the solar system. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin and the project is managed by the Goddard Spaceflight Center.

Don't forget to watch the launch on NASA TV!

You can find out more about MAVEN online at NASA and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

Midoshi · 2013-11-12 18:38:41

Since I'm a MAVEN project scientist, I'll be flying down to the Cape tomorrow to get ready for our pre-flight meetings/preparations. Very exciting! Hope you can all find the time to watch the launch next Monday.

GW Johnson · 2013-11-12 22:42:03

Hi Midoshi:

Good luck and Godspeed on your flight and the flight of your probe!

GW

JoshNH4H · 2013-11-13 01:25:39

I know I will be! Good luck!

Atlas V launches are always pretty. And I'm really looking forward to your results

SpaceNut · 2013-11-13 19:39:44

Good to know that Maven is in good hands.

JoshNH4H · 2013-11-18 13:03:44

Congratulations to everyone on the MAVEN team for a beautiful and successful launch!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/18 … nto_orbit/

GW Johnson · 2013-11-18 13:11:29

Midoshi:

My congrats to you and the entire MAVEN team!

GW

Midoshi · 2013-11-18 15:05:19

Thanks everyone!!!

I just got back with friends and family from viewing the launch from the causeway. It was truly thrilling. Feeling the rockets' rumbling resonate in your chest at a distance of a couple miles is quite the experience. And such a bright exhaust, like there was a miniature sun mounted on the bottom of the rocket. It really was an awesome sight.

In the next few days we will take MAVEN out of safe mode and begin the "cruise" phase of the mission. We'll be doing instrument checkout the first week of December, and after that the IUVS instrument will see about snapping a few shots of comet ISON as it passes by Earth. Hopefully we'll get some spectacular results...even before getting to Mars!

GW Johnson · 2013-11-24 11:26:41

Midoshi:

Any news yet?

GW

JoshNH4H · 2013-11-24 15:31:55

There's a blog on the mission to be found at http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/about/team-blog/.

There don't seem to have been any updates since launch, though.

Midoshi · 2013-12-04 19:33:08

Hey guys, some updates:

We successfully carried out TCM-1 (Trajectory Correction Maneuver) yesterday, so now we really are aimed at Mars. At launch we intentionally put the spacecraft into a transfer orbit that will miss Mars until NASA's Planetary Protection determines that we pass their requirements for avoiding contamination.

Also, earlier today we turned on the NGIMS and IUVS instruments for the first time. Everything looks great, and the IUVS team was able to get "first light" observing the Lyman-alpha line from interplanetary atomic hydrogen in the solar wind. We are all very excited (and relieved)! Tomorrow the Particles and Fields Package will turn on, and we'll see if the rest of the instruments work.

Next week IUVS will try making some observations of what is left of comet ISON. It was disappointing that it disintegrated after perihelion, but we'll go ahead and see what we can see.

If you want to stay up-to-date with MAVEN, the Twitter feed is pretty good: https://twitter.com/MAVEN2Mars

GW Johnson · 2013-12-05 10:05:59

That's very good news, Midoshi. Keep us posted.

GW

GW Johnson · 2014-01-01 11:44:12

Midoshi:

How's MAVEN doing lately?

GW

Midoshi · 2014-01-27 23:51:28

It's been a busy month here on MAVEN...time for an update!

I can now proudly say that every instrument aboard MAVEN has been successfully turned on and demonstrated full capability. The NGIMS saw residual atmospheric gas in their chamber, the Particles and Fields package observed the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field, and IUVS took thousands of images of the Lyman-alpha spectral feature of interplanetary hydrogen across part of the sky.

As of January 1st we are now in Phase E of the project, meaning that money is now being shifted from engineering to science.

We are now looking forward to transitioning to "late cruise" and exercising the instruments a bit more. At the beginning of April the IUVS will pick some UV bright stars to look at (for example, B-type stars like Spica). This will help us calibrate the instrument and prepare for stellar occultation observations of Mars' atmosphere.

SpaceNut · 2014-01-28 18:22:54

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html

The MAVEN Particles & Fields Package (PFP) consists of six separate and distinct instruments, all operated through a single data processing unit. The six instruments that comprise the PFP make detailed measurements of the properties of the Martian upper atmosphere, ionosphere, the input of solar energy into the upper atmosphere, the magnetic field, and ions that have enough energy to escape from the atmosphere to space. These measurements are central to understanding the loss of atmospheric gas to space that is occurring today and to determining what the history of loss through time has been.

MAVEN instruments

Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer
Instrument Lead: Paul Mahaffy

Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph
Instrument Lead: Nick Schneider

Magnetometer
Instrument Lead: Jack Connerney

Solar Wind Electron Analyzer
Instrument Lead: David Mitchell

SupraThermal And Thermal Ion Composition
Instrument Lead: Jim McFadden

Langmuir Probe and Waves antenna
Instrument Lead: Bob Ergun

Solar Energetic Particles
Instrument Lead: Davin Larson

Solar Wind Ion Analyzer
Instrument Lead: Jasper Halekas

GW Johnson · 2014-01-29 18:27:21

Congrats to the MAVEN team again, Midoshi.

GW

SpaceNut · 2014-02-04 20:34:37

I am shocked by the short duration for this mission but with the chance of extension the probe will need that time to sort the details out.

Lights, Camera, MAVEN A Mission to Uncover the History of Mars

MAVEN is on a 52-week mission to find out what exactly happened to Mars' thick and protective atmosphere, which could have sustained life many eons ago.
Evidence of this long-extinct atmosphere lingers today in the form of heavy carbon and oxygen isotopes. These sank below the surface of Mars and were captured in the soil. Lighter molecules such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen (the most abundant molecule in Earth's atmosphere) were blown away, or so we believe.
The extended ellipse of MAVEN's orbit will bring the satellite to within 150 kilometers (93 miles) of the surface into what would be the thermosphere on Earth, where the bulk of solar radiation is absorbed.
It will then spin out to 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), far beyond the boundary of the exosphere. Over the course of the year, seven "deep dips" to 125 km (77 miles) over the surface will bring MAVEN into the upper boundary of the lower atmosphere. This will give MAVEN's onboard instrumentation the opportunity to sample, observe and analyze all atmospheric points in between.

Just how much atmospher remains since we want to make use of it to create fuel and how many missions would that be if we do not find the means to put it back....

Last edited by SpaceNut (2014-02-04 20:40:34)

Midoshi · 2014-02-04 22:45:02

The MAVEN mission was originally slated for 1 Martian year to sample full seasonal variability, however it was cut back to 1 Earth year during the proposal process to improve the chances of selection (e.g. less money) since it could still achieve its primary objectives in that timeframe. The other reason for the relatively short nominal mission is that MAVEN will have its periapsis considerably lower than most Mars orbiters (150 km, as mentioned above), and those deep dips to 125 km are essentially aerobraking altitudes. That is why the solar panels have a swept look to them, to make the craft more aerodynamic at those altitudes. It takes a considerable amount of fuel to raise the orbit after each dip, and even keep it in its nominal orbit over the course of a year, so fuel limitations translate into mission duration limitations.

After the nominal mission we will ultimately raise periapsis to ensure an orbit with long term stability. This is key, because MAVEN's main purpose after being a Mars science mission is to serve as a communications relay for future surface missions (our current fleet of birds is getting a bit long in the tooth...). In fact, this aspect is so critical to NASA's Mars Program that it was what allowed MAVEN to continue preparing for launch in the midst of the government shutdown last year.

SpaceNut, humans are not going to significantly effect the thickness of Mars' atmosphere through making rocket fuel any time soon. For one thing, the exhaust is ejected back toward the planet in order to make the spacecraft leave it (Newton's 3rd Law). Also, a fun number to put the magnitude of the atmosphere in perspective: it would take humans close to 1000 years at current CO2 production rates to generate the mass of CO2 that makes up the current Martian atmosphere. It's pretty substantial.

SpaceNut · 2014-05-14 19:27:49

MAVEN Solar Wind Ion Analyzer Will Look at Mars Atmosphere Loss

Once the MAVEN spacecraft is orbiting Mars, the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) most useful measurements would come from altitudes greater than 190 miles (305 km) above the planet's surface, outside of the main bulk of the atmosphere. Equipped with a field of view that covers about 70 percent of the sky and is centered on the Sun, SWIA will be able to measure the entire distribution of solar wind ions.
Maven will spend much of its time measuring the ions in the solar wind. Released continuously from the sun's atmosphere, the solar wind travels toward Mars at speeds around a million miles per hour, carrying with it a magnetic field that originates inside the sun. It is composed of charged particles that interact with neutral gas particles in Mars' upper atmosphere, giving them the ability to escape from Mars' gravitational pull.

Midoshi · 2014-09-14 15:46:50

MAVEN is almost to Mars!

Mars Orbital Insertion (MOI) will occur a week from now at 9pm ET on the evening of Sunday, September 21st. There will be live coverage on NASA TV, and lots of parties at participating institutions across the country to celebrate the event. Hope you can all find the time to tune in and watch!

GW Johnson · 2014-09-15 08:50:12

Hi Midoshi! That's good news about Maven. Keep us posted.

These forums have been awfully quiet lately. Have you noticed?

GW

Midoshi · 2014-09-16 23:56:33

GW Johnson wrote:

Hi Midoshi! That's good news about Maven. Keep us posted.
These forums have been awfully quiet lately. Have you noticed?
GW

Hi, GW! I have noticed it's been on the quiet side here lately...I'm guessing the start of a new semester is preoccupying the users who are students or teachers.

Be sure to tune into NASA TV tomorrow at 1pm ET for the MAVEN Pre Mars Orbit Insertion News Briefing. Should be a good way to gear up for the weekend!

Midoshi · 2014-09-21 23:17:09

WHOOO! WE'RE IN ORBIT!

GO MAVEN!

Now to get ready for SCIENCE!

GW Johnson · 2014-09-22 10:22:39

Hi Midoshi:

That's great news! My congrats to the entire MAVEN team! I had spotted a news release on the internet that said MAVEN had made it. Thought I would check here, and there was your notice.

Again, congrats!!! Well done.

GW

Decimator · 2014-09-22 11:13:57

Congratulations! What sort of readings will you be taking in the next few weeks?

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#1 2013-11-12 18:34:18

MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#2 2013-11-12 18:38:41

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#3 2013-11-12 22:42:03

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#4 2013-11-13 01:25:39

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#5 2013-11-13 19:39:44

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#6 2013-11-18 13:03:44

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#7 2013-11-18 13:11:29

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#8 2013-11-18 15:05:19

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#9 2013-11-24 11:26:41

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#10 2013-11-24 15:31:55

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#11 2013-12-04 19:33:08

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#12 2013-12-05 10:05:59

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#13 2014-01-01 11:44:12

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#14 2014-01-27 23:51:28

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#15 2014-01-28 18:22:54

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#16 2014-01-29 18:27:21

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#17 2014-02-04 20:34:37

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#18 2014-02-04 22:45:02

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#19 2014-05-14 19:27:49

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#20 2014-09-14 15:46:50

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#21 2014-09-15 08:50:12

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#22 2014-09-16 23:56:33

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#23 2014-09-21 23:17:09

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#24 2014-09-22 10:22:39

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

#25 2014-09-22 11:13:57

Re: MAVEN Launch | Nov 18, 2013 1:28 p.m. EST

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