Red Planet MAVEN: New Probe to Scan Martian Atmosphere

Red Planet MAVEN: New Probe to Scan Martian Atmosphere
Artist's Concept of MAVEN, set to launch in 2013. (Image credit: NASA)

BOULDER,Colo. - A new NASA probe slated to launch in 2013 will take the most detailedlook yet at the atmosphere of Mars.

A team led by the?Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will design, build and operate the MarsAtmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN), an orbiter designed to study theupper atmosphere of the red planet and its interactions with the sun.

Delay and re-evaluation

In the first round of the Mars Scout2006 competition, the MAVEN and Great Escape missions were down-selected for2011 out of 26 proposals for further evaluation in a concept study phase.

However, in December 2007, NASAannounced that the launch of the next mission in the Mars Scout program - originallyplanned for 2011 - was being delayed until 2013 due to an ?organizationalconflict of interest? that was discovered in one of the mission proposalteam?s Phase A Concept Study, NASA reported at the time.

?Because ofthe delay, we had the opportunity to re-evaluate how long we needed to makeobservations in order to obtain our science results,? Jakosky said. ?We wantedto propose a mission length that was tied strongly to the ability to achieveour science goals. In the end, we felt that one year was appropriate, and thatwas what we proposed.?

Jakosky also noted that another factor is the declining solar cycle duringMAVEN?s mission, which?would mean relatively few major solarevents after one year of observations. ?Thus, one year also meshed well withwhat we are most likely to be seeing,? he said.

?MAVEN willbe making measurements for one Earth year - which is long enough to give usaccurate measurements of the entire region of near Mars space that is importantto us,? Jakosky said. Additionally, once in orbit around Mars, MAVEN is being equippedto operate as a telecommunications relay for future landers, he added.

TheUniversity of Colorado, Boulder, is the single largest universityrecipient of NASA research dollars in the nation, according to the spaceagency. In fiscal year 2008, it received roughly $56 million from NASA.

BruceBenson, president of the University ofColorado, Boulder, underscored the fact that the MAVEN win is the largestsingle research contract in the university?s history, with space studies beinga critical piece of Colorado?s space economy - which is second only toCalifornia. ?We?re quickly becoming a university of the universe,? he concluded.

 

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Leonard David
Space Insider Columnist

Leonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being "Moon Rush: The New Space Race" published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet" released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard  has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.