NASA Maven enters MARS orbit

September 22, 2014

MAVEN Spacecraft has entered MARS orbit. MAVEN which stands for- the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution craft is yet another feather in the cap of the NASA. MAVEN is the first spacecraft of its type to study the upper Martian atmosphere. MAVEN has achieved the success after a 10-month journey around the red planet. It will open lot more avenues for human endeavors on MARS as the spacecraft will bring information about the present and history of Martian atmosphere, the change in its climate and the possibility of future habitations by humans. It is expected to send useful data for studying the viability of future mission to send humans to MARS in 2030s.
The spacecraft will supplement other robotic missions of NASA on MARS and will also synergize efforts of scientists around the globe. As per the NASA news, the confirmation of orbital insertion was received from MAVEN data at the Lockheed Martin operations center in Littleton, Colorado and also from tracking data monitored at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory navigation facility in Pasadena, California. NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna station in Canberra, Australia also receives telemetry and tracking data.
The next phase for MAVEN is equaling challenging as it involves six-week commissioning phase that includes placement into the final science orbit, testing instruments and science-mapping instructions. After the commissioning, MAVEN will set for its one-earth year journey gathering information about composition, structure and escape of gases from MARS.

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