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MAVEN Spacecraft Trajectory

This drawing shows the final trajectory for the MAVEN spacecraft arriving at Mars on Sept. 21, 2014.

September 17, 2014

This artist concept depicts the process of orbital insertion of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft.

Credits

NASA/GSFC

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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
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted for stacking at Launch Pad 41 in preparation for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution,...
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At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted for stacking at Launch Pad 41 in preparation for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission.
MAVEN's Atlas V Lifted to Launch Pad
Download a PDF of MAVEN Frequently Asked Questions.
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MAVEN FAQs
MAVEN FAQs
Artist’s rendering of a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere.
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Artist's rendering of a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere.
Visualizing a Solar Storm's Effect on Mars Atmosphere
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex-41 liquid oxygen began flowing into the Atlas first stage booster for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission.
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At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex-41 liquid oxygen began flowing into the Atlas first stage booster for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission.
Fueling of MAVEN's Atlas V Rocket Underway
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
The MAVEN spacecraft in Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations phase at Lockheed Martin.
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The MAVEN spacecraft in Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations phase at Lockheed Martin.
MAVEN with High Gain Antenna
A lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse and Mars has a close encounter with a comet.
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What's Up for October?
What's Up for October?
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
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 visualization shows MAVEN and Comet Siding Spring making their way through the solar system to a close encounter near Mars. This animation moves the camera in a bit closer and more parallel wi...
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Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots
Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots
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
This animation shows a proton aurora at Mars. First, a solar wind proton approaches Mars at high speed and encounters a cloud of hydrogen surrounding the planet. 
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Animation of Proton aurora at Mars
Animation of Proton Aurora at Mars
These profiles show the brightness of auroras in Mars’ atmosphere at different altitudes. The solid black profile on the right is from a September 2017 solar storm. Barely visible along the vertica...
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Martian Aurora 25 Times Brighter Than Prior Brightest
Martian Aurora 25 Times Brighter Than Prior Brightest
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
The Martian surface bears ample evidence of flowing water in its youth, from crater lakes and riverbeds to minerals that only form in water. But today Mars is cold and dry, and scientists think tha...
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Investigating the Martian Atmosphere
Investigating the Martian Atmosphere
The Solar Wind Electron Analyzer, shown here before being delivered to Lockheed Martin for integration with the MAVEN spacecraft.
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The Solar Wind Electron Analyzer, shown here before being delivered to Lockheed Martin for integration with the MAVEN spacecraft.
MAVEN Solar Wind Electron Analyzer
This photo taken on March 3 shows the large hydrazine propellant tank prior to integration with the core structure of the MAVEN spacecraft at a Lockheed Martin clean room near Denver.
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This photo taken on March 3 shows the large hydrazine propellant tank prior to integration with the core structure of the MAVEN spacecraft at a Lockheed Martin clean room near Denver.
Propellant Tank for MAVEN Spacecraft
NASA managers poll the launch team to ensure all is ready for the liftoff of an Atlas V at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
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MAVEN Ready for Launch
MAVEN Ready for Launch
Seasons change even on Mars and NASA's fleet of explorers are helping scientists learn more about the effects on the Red Planet.
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Seasons change even on Mars and NASA's fleet of explorers are helping scientists learn more about the effects on the Red Planet.
Mars Report: How's the Weather on Mars?
The close encounter between comet Siding Spring and Mars flooded the planet with an invisible tide of charged particles from the comet's coma. The dense inner coma reached the surface of the planet...
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The close encounter between comet Siding Spring and Mars flooded the planet with an invisible tide of charged particles from the comet's coma. The dense inner coma reached the surface of the planet, or nearly so. The comet's powerful magnetic field temporarily merged with, and overwhelmed, the planet's weak field, as shown in this artist's depiction.
Close Siding Spring Encounter
This artist concept depicts NASA’s Space Launch System, which will be the most powerful rocket ever built. It is designed to boost the agency’s Orion spacecraft on deep space missions, including to...
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Space Launch System rocket clearing the clouds.
Space Launch System Rocket Clearing the Clouds
A map of MAVEN's IUVS’s auroral detections in December 2014 overlaid on Mars’ surface.
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A map of MAVEN's IUVS's auroral detections in December 2014 overlaid on Mars' surface.
Map of Auroral Detections on Mars
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians prepare the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft for enc...
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Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians prepare the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft for encapsulation inside its payload fairing.
MAVEN Encapsulated in Payload Fairing

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