Mission Introduction
An artist's conception of the MAVEN Mars orbiter shows the spacecraft with images of Mars in the background. (Courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), set to launch in 2013, is the second mission in NASA’s Mars Scout program and will explore the planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. Scientists will use MAVEN data to determine the role that loss of volatile compounds, such as CO2, N2, and H2O, from the Mars atmosphere to space has played over time, giving insight into the history of Mars atmosphere and climate, liquid water, and planetary habitability. LASP is the lead institution for the MAVEN mission and the MAVEN Principal Investigator is Dr. Bruce Jakosky.
LASP Roles
LASP will provide:
- The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS) instrument
- The Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument
- Science operations, science data center, and Education and Public Outreach
The IUVS instrument will measure global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars. (Courtesy NASA/LASP)
LASP Instruments
The IUVS will determine the global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere via remote sensing; and the LPW determines ionospheric properties, wave heating of the upper atmosphere, and solar EUV input to the atmosphere.
For more information about the MAVEN mission, see: http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven
Quick Facts
Launch date: Nov. 18, 2013 (start of three-week launch window)
Launch location: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch vehicle: Atlas V-401
Mission target: Mars
Mission duration: One Earth year after arrival at Mars
Other key dates:
- Mars Orbit Insertion: Sept. 22, 2014
Other organizations involved:
- NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
- University of California, Berkeley
- Lockheed Martin Corporation
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Click on the image to view a PDF (623 KB) of MAVEN FAQs.
