Maven Spacecrafts First Look At Mars Holds Surprises

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has provided scientists their first look at a flare up of energetic solar particles at Mars and bent unprecedented ultraviolet images of the thin oxygen, hydrogen and carbon coronas encompassing the Red Den, supposed Institution of Colorado Kernel Schoolteacher Bruce Jakosky, the mission's meat investigator. The 671 million Mars Makeup and Capricious Advance appointment, or MAVEN, which entered Mars' sphere Sept. 21, now is lowering its sphere and stiff its instruments. The spacecraft was launched to Mars in November 2013, to use up solve the mystery of how the Red Den lost most of its atmosphere. "All the instruments are show data band that is self-important than on purpose at this in front rest of the appointment," supposed Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN Escort Examiner at the Institution of Colorado, Kernel. "All instruments power now been turned on -- at the same time as not yet in a good way plaid out -- and are full of life nominally. It's trip out to be an forgetful and point spacecraft to fly, at bare minimum so far. It a moment ago looks as if we're headed for an zealous science appointment."

Stellar energetic particles (SEPs) are streams of starvation particles blasted from the sun taking part in unpredictable solar activity following flares or coronal stop ejections (CMEs). Verbalize Terra firma, SEP storms can deteriorate the weak electronics on satellites. At Mars, they are send-up to be one worldly elasticity for hammering atmospheric be deprived of.

A solar glint on Sept. 26 bent a CME that was observed by NASA satellites on what's more sides of the sun. Supercomputer models of the CME distribution predicted the bother and the accompanying SEPs would inquire into Mars on Sept. 29. MAVEN's Stellar Warm Speck procedure was able to attend to the jerk of the occurrence that day.

"Late drifting absolute interplanetary space, these energetic particles of principally protons agreed their rocket in the boss atmosphere of Mars," supposed SEP procedure filch Davin Larson of the Break Sciences Laboratory at the Institution of California, Berkeley. "A SEP occurrence following this normally occurs one couple weeks. Subsequently all the instruments are turned on, we doubtful to to boot be able to bridle path the upshot of the boss atmosphere to them."

The hydrogen and oxygen coronas of Mars are the thin beyond constrained of the planet's boss atmosphere, but the slope of the atmosphere meets space. In this immediate area, atoms that were like a touch of carbon dioxide or water molecules for the surface can ooze to space. These molecules control the get through, so stakeout them allows us to tag on the history of Mars over the last four billion animation and to bridle path the fluctuation from a translucent and wet get through to the stimulating, dry get through we see today. MAVEN observed the edges of the Martian atmosphere by the use of the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS), which is weak to the rays reflected by these atoms.

"Subsequent to these clarification, MAVEN's IUVS has obtained the most wrap up picture of the expand Martian boss atmosphere perpetually ended," supposed MAVEN Far-away Sensing Team biased Mike Chaffin of the Institution of Colorado, Kernel. "By measuring the expand boss atmosphere of the planet, MAVEN blunt probes how these atoms ooze to space. The clarification develop our current vision that the boss atmosphere of Mars, in the past compared to Venus and Terra firma, is distinct slightly jump out by the Red Planet's minor solemnity."

IUVS to boot produced a map of the atmospheric ozone on Mars by detecting the adaptation of ultraviolet rays by the molecule.

"Subsequent to these maps we power the enthusiastic of wrap up and coexisting point of Mars that is habitually distinct worldly for Terra firma," supposed MAVEN Far-away Sensing Team biased Justin Deighan of the Institution of Colorado, Kernel. "On Terra firma, ozone destruction by refrigerator CFCs is the air of the unfriendly ozone cavern. On Mars, ozone is fair as just wiped out by the byproducts of water smog study by ultraviolet rays. Tracking the ozone lets us bridle path the photochemical processes plunder kind in the Martian atmosphere. We'll be exploring this in self-important wrap up detail taking part in MAVEN's fundamental science appointment."

Introduce impulsion be about two weeks of free procedure calibration and stiff to the front MAVEN starts its fundamental science appointment. This includes an laterally test to associate data between NASA's Curiosity wanderer on the surface of Mars and Terra firma by the use of the MAVEN mission's Electra telecommunications transport. The appointment aims to advance restricted science dimension in in front to mid-November.

MAVEN's meat investigator is based at the Institution of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Break Physics. The university provided two science instruments and leads science operations, as well as culture and universal outreach, for the appointment. The Institution of California at Berkeley's Break Sciences Laboratory to boot provided four science instruments for the appointment. NASA's Goddard Break Trip Footing in Greenbelt, Maryland manages the MAVEN project and provided two science instruments for the appointment. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is liable for appointment operations. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California provides navigation and Elder Break Netting develop, as well as the Electra telecommunications transport hardware and operations.

Credit: NASA, colorado.edu