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MAVEN Mission

NASA's MAVEN mission is investigating the mystery of how ancient Mars went from being a wet world to the cold, dry desert it is now. The MAVEN (short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) probe will investigate the Red Planet's thin atmosphere, searching for signs of how the planet became what it is today. See the latest MAVEN news, photos and video here. 

Related Topics: Curiosity Mars Rover Mission, ExoMars, India Mars Orbiter Mission, Mars, Mars Rover Opportunity 

Latest Updates

Maps of the water content in the atmosphere of Mars suggest the Red Planet once had an ocean that covered 20 percent of its surface, a fifth of the planet. Most of that water was lost to space.

Big dust storms may have driven off much of Mars' water

By Nola Taylor Redd

Martian dust storms have helped to strip water from the red planet.

NASA's MAVEN orbiter at Mars.

The MAVEN Spacecraft Will Fly Closer to Mars to Help NASA's Next Rover

By Doris Elin Urrutia

The 4-year old MAVEN mission will start making elliptical orbits closer to Mars' surface and prepare for its role as a future data-relay system for NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 rover.

MAVEN mars orbiter selfie

NASA Mars Orbiter Snaps Selfie to Mark 4 Years at Red Planet

By Mike Wall

Can We Terraform Mars to Make It Earth-Like? Not Anytime Soon, Study Suggests

By Chelsea Gohd

Could we make Mars Earth-like? Not with existing technologies, one new paper suggests.

Mars' proton aurora

'Stolen' Electrons Spark Unusual Auroras on Mars

By Samantha Mathewson

A new type of aurora has been spotted on Mars, and thieving streams of solar wind may be to blame, a new study shows.

maven mars sunrise

Gravity Assist Podcast: Mars, with Bruce Jakosky and Michael Meyer

By NASA, Astrobiology Magazine

NASA's Planetary Science Division Director, Jim Green, talks to the MAVEN mission's Principal Investigator Brice Jakosky and NASA's leading Mars scientist, Michael Meyer.

Mars images by Mars Global Surveyor

Escape from Mars! Red-Planet Dust Storms Linked to Atmosphere Loss

By Elizabeth Howell

Dust storms that take over the Martian globe play a key role in promoting gas escape from the Red Planet's atmosphere, according to a new study.

mars aurora

Strong Solar Storm Sparked Planet-Wide Aurora on Mars

By Kasandra Brabaw

A strong solar storm recently sparked a whole-planet aurora on Mars more than 25 times brighter than any seen before on the Red Planet, researchers say.

Comet Siding Spring’s Mars Meteor Shower

Comet's 2014 Mars Flyby Caused Most Intense Meteor Shower Ever Recorded

By Mike Wall

The annual Perseid meteor shower may be great, but it's got nothing on the brief sky show that Comet Siding Spring gave Mars in October 2014.

On Oct. 14, 2014 the Sun blew off a coronal mass ejection (CME) and was detected by several NASA and ESA probes.

Solar Storm Sentries: Spacecraft at Mars, Saturn and More Spot Huge Sun Eruption (Video)

By Sarah Lewin

On Oct. 14, 2014 the Sun blew off a coronal mass ejection (CME) and was detected by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and other NASA/ESA probes.

NASA's MAVEN

Martian Sky Went Metal After Meteor Strikes

By Charles Q. Choi

Metal detected in the sky of Mars may come from meteors streaking through the Red Planet atmosphere, a new study finds.

'Hidden' Valley in Gale Crater on Mars

Mars' Raindrops May Once Have Been Bigger Than Earth's

By Mike Wall

Mars is dry as a bone today, but the Red Planet once had raindrops bigger than the ones we're used to here on Earth, a new study suggests.

Artist's Illustration: MAVEN at Mars

Metal Detected in Mars' Atmosphere

By Mike Wall

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has spotted iron, magnesium and sodium ions — electrically charged atoms — high up in the Red Planet's atmosphere over the past two years, a new study reports.

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since September 2014, scrutinizing the planet's thin atmosphere.

NASA Spacecraft Avoids Collision with Martian Moon Phobos

By Sarah Lewin

Close call! NASA's Mars-orbiting spacecraft shifted course this week to avoid a future collision with Mars' dark moon Phobos.

Artist's impression of the MAVEN

Happy Anniversary, MAVEN! NASA Mars Probe Marks 2 Years of Science Work

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA's newest Mars orbiter has now been on the job for two Earth years, investigating how the Red Planet lost its atmosphere in the ancient past.

This ultraviolet view of Mars was created using images from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft taken between July 9-10, 2016 using the probe's Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph. NASA released the images on Oct. 17, 2016.

Gorgeous Mars 'Nightglow' Spotted by NASA Orbiter (Photos, Video)

By Elizabeth Howell

The first detailed look at Martian "nightglow" has been revealed, thanks to the work of NASA's newest Red Planet orbiter.

Solar wind stripping Martian atmosphere

Interstellar Clouds Eroded Martian Atmosphere

By Elizabeth Howell

It turns out that solar wind may not be the only culprit behind Mars' thinned atmosphere.

Artist's rendering of solar storm at Mars

Sun-Stripped Mars Can Help NASA's MAVEN Provide Exoplanet Insights

By Nola Taylor Redd

The red planet could provide insight into how the atmospheres are stripped off of distant, comet-like exoplanets.

SOFIA's measurement signature superimposed on Mars' atmosphere

Atomic Oxygen on Mars Detected by Flying Telescope

By Sarah Lewin

Mars As Seen by Viking 1

NASA Eyeing New Mars Orbiter Mission

By Mike Wall