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MAVEN to Mars

This artist's concept shows the MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around the Red Planet, with a fanciful image of her home planet in the background.

October 28, 2013

This artist's concept shows the MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around the Red Planet, with a fanciful image of her home planet in the background.

Credits

NASA/Goddard

ENLARGE

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MAVEN, which stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, is a new NASA spacecraft embarking on a mission to study Mars' upper atmosphere, seeking to learn how the atmosphere and environment ...
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MAVEN to Explore Upper Atmosphere of Mars
MAVEN to Explore Upper Atmosphere of Mars
This artist's concept depicts NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft orbiting Mars.
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This artist's concept depicts NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft orbiting Mars.
MAVEN Orbiting Mars
The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) instrument, shown here at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., before its integration onto NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Ev...
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The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) instrument, shown here at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., before its integration onto NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.
MAVEN Neutral and Ion Mass Spectrometer
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft, mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, rolls out from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Vertical Integration Fac...
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MAVEN Rolls to the Launch Pad
MAVEN Rolls to the Launch Pad
Download a PDF of MAVEN Frequently Asked Questions.
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MAVEN FAQs
MAVEN FAQs
This animation first shows Curiosity working to understand Mars as a past habitat, with a cut to MAVEN arriving at Mars to study the upper Martian atmosphere. (Audio: music and mechanical sounds only)
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Curiosity and MAVEN Explore Mars
Curiosity and MAVEN Explore Mars
Images of Mars proton aurora.
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Images of Mars proton aurora.
Mars Proton Aurora
The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS) is a part of the Remote Sensing (RS) Package and measures global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
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The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS) is a part of the Remote Sensing (RS) Package and measures global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer for MAVEN Spacecraft
Graphic illustrating the MAVEN spacecraft encountering plasma layers at Mars.
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Graphic illustrating the MAVEN spacecraft encountering plasma layers at Mars.
Artist's Concept of MAVEN Encountering Plasma Layers at Mars
NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft, inside a payload fairing, is hoisted to the top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at the Vertical Integration Facility at ...
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NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft, inside a payload fairing, is hoisted to the top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
MAVEN Spacecraft Positioned Atop Atlas V Rocket
These images from the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA's MAVEN orbiter show the appearance of a bright aurora on Mars during a solar storm in September 2017. The purple-white colors shows t...
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Solar Storm Triggers Whole-Planet Aurora at Mars
Solar Storm Triggers Whole-Planet Aurora at Mars
MAVEN Launches.
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MAVEN Launches.
MAVEN Launches
NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatiles Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is seen inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on Aug. 3. 2013 at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatiles Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is seen inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on Aug. 3. 2013 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
MAVEN at Kennedy Space Center
Mars presents intriguing questions to scientists: How did the Red Planet become so desolate? Did Mars once look like Earth? How has it changed? The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (M...
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MAVEN Teaser
MAVEN Teaser
This animation depicts MAVEN orbiting Mars.
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This animation depicts MAVEN orbiting Mars.
Animation of MAVEN orbiting Mars
This animation shows the sudden appearance of a bright aurora on Mars during a solar storm. The purple-white color scheme shows the intensity of ultraviolet light over the course of the event, from...
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Solar Storm Triggers Whole-Planet Aurora at Mars
Solar Storm Triggers Whole-Planet Aurora at Mars
This is an image of the ultraviolet “nightglow” in the Martian atmosphere over the south pole. Green and white false colors represent the intensity of ultraviolet light, with white being the bright...
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ultraviolet “nightglow” in the Martian atmosphere over the south pole
Ultraviolet ‘Nightglow' of Mars Atmosphere Over South Pole
Mars is experiencing large regional dust storms over its northern hemisphere during the past week.
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This movie was acquired by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Mars Colour Imager (MARCI) camera.
The Martian Dust Storm of June 2018
This artist concept depicts the process of orbital insertion of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft.
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This drawing shows the final trajectory for the MAVEN spacecraft arriving at Mars on Sept. 21, 2014.
MAVEN Spacecraft Trajectory
The dual Atlas V rocket engines roar to life on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
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The dual Atlas V rocket engines roar to life on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
Atlas V Ignition for MAVEN
MAVEN selfie composite, annotated
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This is an annotated selfie of the MAVEN spacecraft.
MAVEN Selfie Composite, Annotated
The MAVEN Solar Wind Ion Analyzer will study ions in the Martian atmosphere, a key component for better understanding the planet's evolution.
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This image shows the wind analyzer instrument box that is yellow metal at the bottom, the top is a circular black cylinder. The whole instrument is the size of a shoebox.
MAVEN Wind Ion Analyzer
The diagram explains the cause of Mars’ glowing nightside atmosphere. 
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diagram of Mars' glowing nightside atmostphere
Diagram of Mars' Glowing Nightside
On May 1, 2013, followers of the NASA MAVEN mission can begin entering their names to be placed on a specially designed DVD that will accompany the spacecraft on its journey to Mars this November.
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On May 1, 2013, followers of the NASA MAVEN mission can begin entering their names to be placed on a specially designed DVD that will accompany the spacecraft on its journey to Mars this November.
Go to Mars with MAVEN
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands ready to boost the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a 10-...
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At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands ready to boost the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a 10-month journey to the Red Planet.
MAVEN Ready for Launch

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