Abstract
The MAVEN spacecraft launched in November 2013, arrived at Mars in September 2014, and completed commissioning and began its one-Earth-year primary science mission in November 2014. The orbiter’s science objectives are to explore the interactions of the Sun and the solar wind with the Mars magnetosphere and upper atmosphere, to determine the structure of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere and the processes controlling it, to determine the escape rates from the upper atmosphere to space at the present epoch, and to measure properties that allow us to extrapolate these escape rates into the past to determine the total loss of atmospheric gas to space through time. These results will allow us to determine the importance of loss to space in changing the Mars climate and atmosphere through time, thereby providing important boundary conditions on the history of the habitability of Mars. The MAVEN spacecraft contains eight science instruments (with nine sensors) that measure the energy and particle input from the Sun into the Mars upper atmosphere, the response of the upper atmosphere to that input, and the resulting escape of gas to space. In addition, it contains an Electra relay that will allow it to relay commands and data between spacecraft on the surface and Earth.
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Abbreviations
- ACC:
-
Accelerometer
- ACS:
-
Attitude Control System
- APP:
-
Articulated Payload Platform
- b.y.:
-
billion years
- b.y.a.:
-
billion years ago
- CME:
-
Coronal Mass Ejection
- DSMC:
-
Direct Simulation Monte Carlo
- EUV:
-
Extreme Ultraviolet light
- EUV:
-
Extreme Ultraviolet sensor on the LPW instrument
- eV:
-
Electron Volts
- GCM:
-
General Circulation Model
- GSFC:
-
Goddard Space Flight Center
- HGA:
-
High-Gain Antenna
- IMF:
-
Interplanetary Magnetic Field
- IUVS:
-
Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph
- LGA:
-
Low-Gain Antenna
- LMD:
-
Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique
- LPW:
-
Langmuir Probe and Waves instrument
- MAG:
-
Magnetometer
- MAVEN:
-
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Mission)
- MGS:
-
Mars Global Surveyor
- MHD:
-
Magnetohydrodynamic
- MLI:
-
Multi-Layer Insulation
- MOI:
-
Mars Orbit Insertion
- MPB:
-
Magnetic Pile-up Boundary
- MSL:
-
Mars Science Laboratory
- NASA:
-
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- NASCAP:
-
NASA/Air Force Spacecraft Charging Analysis Program
- NGIMS:
-
Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer
- OTM:
-
Orbital Trim Maneuver
- PTE:
-
Periapsis Timing Estimator
- RWA:
-
Reaction Wheel Assembly
- SA:
-
Solar Arrays
- SEP:
-
Solar Energetic Particle instrument
- SEPs:
-
Solar Energetic Particles
- SEU:
-
Single-Event Upset
- SSL:
-
Space Science Laboratory
- STATIC:
-
Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition instrument
- SWEA:
-
Solar-Wind Electron Analyzer
- SWIA:
-
Solar-Wind Ion Analyzer
- TCM:
-
Trajectory Correction Maneuver
- TWTA:
-
Traveling Wave Tube Assembly
- UHF:
-
Ultra-high frequency
- 3D:
-
Three dimensional
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Acknowledgements
The MAVEN mission would not have been possible without the incredible dedication, commitment, and experience of the many hundreds of people (of all job classifications) who have worked on MAVEN. To call out a few by name would feel like a disservice to those not mentioned. They each have our incredible gratitude and appreciation for their efforts. In addition, we benefitted tremendously from the strong support from each of our partner organizations. Funding for the MAVEN mission was provided by NASA, with additional funding from CNES.
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Jakosky, B.M., Lin, R.P., Grebowsky, J.M. et al. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Mission. Space Sci Rev 195, 3–48 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-015-0139-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-015-0139-x