Post by glactus on Nov 26, 2011 5:42:47 GMT
The Maven spacecraft
On September 15, 2008 NASA announced that it had selected MAVEN to be the Mars Scout 2013 mission, a part of the Mars Scout Program. MAVEN will be launched in late 2013 and is planned to enter Mars orbit during the fall of 2014. MAVEN will enter into an elliptic orbit 90 to 3,870 miles above the planet's surface and will cost US $485 million.
Inspecting the Maven spacecraft
MAVEN will have four primary scientific objectives:
Determine the role that loss of volatiles to space from the Mars atmosphere has played through time.
Determine the current state of the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the solar wind.
Determine the current rates of escape of neutral gases and ions to space and the processes controlling them.
Determine the ratios of stable isotopes in the Martian atmosphere.
Looking at the Maven spacecraft
MAVEN's measurements will provide additional scientific context with which to test models for current methane formation in Mars. NASA will launch MAVEN using an Atlas V 401. The launch window is between November 18, 2013 and December 7, 2013. Assuming a November 18 launch, MAVEN will be inserted into Mars orbit on September 16, 2014.
To see video of the Maven Mars mission just click on the link below. Has sound. Full screen option bottom right.
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=m5nP1Zma8KU
Credits: The Maven Spacecraft is a non copywrite image.
Text by wikipedia
Video byYouTube
Space art by Glactus