MAVEN

This article is about a Mars orbiter. For other uses, see Maven (disambiguation).

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)

Artist's Concept of MAVEN. Credit: NASA.
Operator	NASA
Major contractors	Lockheed Martin Space Systems, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of California, Berkeley, Goddard Space Flight Center
Mission type	Orbiter
Satellite of	Mars
Launch date	Launch window between November 18, 2013 and December 7, 2013
Launch vehicle	Atlas V 401
Mission duration	One Earth year
Orbital elements
Inclination	75º
Periapsis	140-170 km
Orbital period	4.5 hours

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) is a space exploration mission to send a space probe to orbit Mars as part of NASA's Mars Scout Program. Scientists conducting the mission will study the atmosphere of Mars. The principal investigator for MAVEN is Bruce Jakosky of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Program overview

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.^[1][2] There was one other finalist and eight other proposals that were competing against MAVEN to be the Mars Scout 2013 mission. 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. MAVEN will cost US$485 million.

MAVEN will have four primary scientific objectives:

1. Determine the role that loss of volatiles to space from the Mars atmosphere has played through time.
2. Determine the current state of the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the solar wind.
3. Determine the current rates of escape of neutral gases and ions to space and the processes controlling them.
4. Determine the ratios of stable isotopes in the Martian atmosphere.^[3]

MAVEN's measurements will provide additional scientific context with which to test models for current methane formation in Mars.^[4] NASA will launch MAVEN using an Atlas V 401.^[5] 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.

Hardware overview

MAVEN's design will be based on those of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Lockheed Martin Space Systems will build and test the spacecraft.

Scientific instruments

MAVEN will study Mars' upper atmosphere and how it interacts with the Sun. It will carry instruments to measure characteristics of Mars' atmospheric gases, upper atmosphere, solar wind, and ionosphere.^[6] University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Berkeley and Goddard Space Flight Center will each build a suite of instruments to fly on the spacecraft.

The instrument suites will include:

Particles and Field (P&F) Package

Built by the University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory.

• Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA)-Measures solar wind and ionospheric electrons
• Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA)-Measures solar wind and magnetosheath ion density and velocity
• Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC)-Measures thermal ions to moderate-energy escaping ions
• Solar Energetic Particle (SEP)-Determines the impact of SEPs on the upper atmosphere
• Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW)-Determines ionospheric properties and wave heating of escaping ions and solar EUV input to atmosphere
• Magnetometer (MAG)-Measures interplanetary solar wind and ionospheric magnetic fields

Remote Sensing (RS) Package

Built by the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

• Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS)-Measures global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere

Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) Package

Built by Goddard Space Flight Center

• To measure the composition and isotopes of neutral gases and ions

See also

• Atmosphere of Mars
• Mars Scout Program
• Mars Trace Gas Mission
• New Frontiers Program
• Space weather

References

1. ^ NASA Selects 'MAVEN' Mission to Study Mars Atmosphere
2. ^ "Thumbs Up Given for 2013 NASA Mars Orbiter". NASA - JPL. October 05, 2010. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-323. Retrieved 2010-10-05. 
3. ^ MAVEN Fact Sheet
4. ^ "Mars Methane Questions Answered". Science Channel. http://science.discovery.com/stories/mars/questions/questions.html. Retrieved 2009-11-14. 
5. ^ "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for MAVEN Mission". SpaceRef. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31905. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
6. ^ CU chosen for $485M Mars exploration project

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