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Artist Concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)

This image shows an artist concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.

September 16, 2014

This image shows an artist concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.

Credits

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

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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
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
Phobos as observed by MAVEN's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph.
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Phobos as observed by MAVEN's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph.
Phobos Observed by MAVEN
To receive the same amount of starlight as Mars receives from our Sun, a planet orbiting an M-type red dwarf would have to be positioned much closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. 
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To receive the same amount of starlight as Mars receives from our Sun, a planet orbiting an M-type red dwarf would have to be positioned much closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
How Habitable Might an Exo-Mars Be?
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
This is an artist's model of an early Mars - billions of years ago - which may have had oceans and a thicker atmosphere.
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This is an artist's model of an early Mars — billions of years ago — which may have had oceans and a thicker atmosphere.
Mars Evolution from Wet to Dry
Mars was once on track to become a thriving Earth-like planet, yet today it is an apparently lifeless wasteland. A NASA spacecraft named MAVEN will soon journey to Mars to find out what went wrong ...
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What Happened to Mars? A Planetary Mystery
What Happened to Mars? A Planetary Mystery
Engineers work on the MAVEN spacecraft, which is dominated by the high-gain antenna that is crucial to communications with NASA's Deep Space Network.
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Engineers work on the MAVEN spacecraft, which is dominated by the high-gain antenna that is crucial to communications with NASA's Deep Space Network.
MAVEN's High-Gain Antenna
This image shows atomic hydrogen scattering sunlight in the upper atmosphere of Mars, as seen by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission.
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This image shows atomic hydrogen scattering sunlight in the upper atmosphere of Mars, as seen by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission.
MAVEN's Ultraviolet Views of Hydrogen's Escape from Mars
This artist's concept depicts NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft near Mars.
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This artist's concept depicts NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft near Mars.
MAVEN at Mars, Artist's Concept
This illustration shows the MAVEN spacecraft and the limb of Mars.
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spacecraft orbiting red planet
MAVEN Artist's Concept Orbiting Mars
The MAVEN spacecraft is shown here in testing for Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility.
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The MAVEN spacecraft is shown here in testing for Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility.
MAVEN EMI:EMC Test
Artist’s conception of MAVEN’s Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observing the “Christmas Lights Aurora" on Mars. MAVEN observations show that aurora on Mars is similar to Earth’s "Northern L...
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Artist's conception of MAVEN's Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observing the "Christmas Lights Aurora" on Mars. MAVEN observations show that aurora on Mars is similar to Earth's "Northern Lights" but has a different origin.
Artist's Concept of MAVEN Observing Aurora on Mars
The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) measures the composition and isotopes of thermal neutrals and ions.
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The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) measures the composition and isotopes of thermal neutrals and ions.
Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer for MAVEN Spacecraft
The Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument is part of the Particles and Fields (P & F) Package and determines ionospheric properties and wave heating of escaping ions and solar EUV input to ...
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The Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument is part of the Particles and Fields (P & F) Package and determines ionospheric properties and wave heating of escaping ions and solar EUV input to the atmosphere.
Langmuir Probe And Waves Instrument for MAVEN Spacecraft
MAVEN will use its Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer to study the interaction of neutral gases and ions in the Martian atmosphere with the solar wind, helping scientists to understand how Mars ...
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MAVEN will use its Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer to study the interaction of neutral gases and ions in the Martian atmosphere with the solar wind, helping scientists to understand how Mars has lost its atmosphere over time.
Searching for Mars' Missing Atmosphere
Robert Lin, the late director of the Space Sciences Laboratory, discusses how NASA's MAVEN spacecraft will study the interaction of the Martian atmosphere with the solar wind. MAVEN's findings will...
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Studying the Solar Wind on Mars
Studying the Solar Wind on Mars
Download the PDF or PPT of the MAVEN Overview Presentation.
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MAVEN Overview Presentation
Maven Overview Presentation
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
This artist's concept depicts the early Martian environment (left) - believed to contain liquid water and a thicker atmosphere - versus the cold, dry environment seen at Mars today (right).
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This artist's concept depicts the early Martian environment (left) - believed to contain liquid water and a thicker atmosphere - versus the cold, dry environment seen at Mars today (right).
The Look of a Young Mars
An Atlas V rocket lifts off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
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Liftoff of MAVEN
Liftoff of MAVEN
MAVEN was launched into a Hohmann Transfer Orbit with periapsis at Earth’s orbit and apoapsis at the distance of the orbit of Mars. The spacecraft will travel more than 180 degrees around the Sun i...
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MAVEN was launched into a Hohmann Transfer Orbit with periapsis at Earth's orbit and apoapsis at the distance of the orbit of Mars. The spacecraft will travel more than 180 degrees around the Sun in its transfer orbit, which requires 10 months to set the stage for Mars Orbit Insertion in September 2014.
Hohmann Transfer Orbit
An Atlas V rocket is being prepared for liftoff at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
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The MAVEN Countdown is Underway
The MAVEN Countdown is Underway
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft measured light and heavy isotopes of argon in the Martian atmosphere, allowing scientists to determine that the majority of the planet's air was lost to space.
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NASA's MAVEN spacecraft measured light and heavy isotopes of argon in the Martian atmosphere, allowing scientists to determine that the majority of the planet's air was lost to space.
Measuring Mars' Atmosphere Loss
The Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) is a part of the Particles and Fields (P & F) Package and measures the solar wind and magnetosheath ion density and velocity.
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The Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) is a part of the Particles and Fields (P & F) Package and measures the solar wind and magnetosheath ion density and velocity.
Solar Wind Ion Analyzer for MAVEN Spacecraft

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