Tag Archives: Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph

MAVEN: Four (Earth) years in Mars orbit

[Ed. note: The video shows a presentation on September 20, 2018, by MAVEN principal investigator Bruce Jakosky providing an update on the latest data from the mission. The story excerpted below is on the MAVEN mission website.] Today [September 21], … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: ‘Stolen’ electrons cause unusual Mars aurora

Auroras appear on Earth as ghostly displays of colorful light in the night sky, usually near the poles. Our rocky neighbor Mars has auroras too, and NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft just found a new type of Martian aurora that occurs over … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: Meteoric metal chemistry in Mars’ atmosphere

When dust particles enter the Mars’ atmosphere, collisions with air molecules cause heating and evaporation, and the continuous injection of metal atoms and ions into Mars’ atmosphere. The MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph, or IUVS, instrument has detected a layer of … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: Large solar storm sparks global aurora, doubles radiation levels at surface

An unexpectedly strong blast from the Sun hit Mars this month, observed by NASA missions in orbit and on the surface. “NASA’s distributed set of science missions is in the right place to detect activity on the Sun and examine … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: Ups & downs of water escape from Mars

After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, MAVEN has determined that escaping water does not always go gently into space. Sophisticated measurements made by a suite of instruments on the MAVEN spacecraft revealed … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: New view of Mars in ultraviolet

New global images of Mars from the MAVEN mission show the ultraviolet glow from the Martian atmosphere in unprecedented detail, revealing dynamic, previously invisible behavior. They include the first images of “nightglow” that can be used to show how winds … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN completes one Mars year at Mars

Today [October 3], MAVEN has completed one Mars year of science observations. One Mars year is just under two Earth years. MAVEN launched on Nov. 18, 2013, and went into orbit around Mars on Sept. 21, 2014. During its time … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN: Mapping Mars’ upper atmosphere

High above the thin ‪Martian‬ skies, the ‪MAVEN‬ spacecraft is carrying out a mission: determine how Mars lost its early atmosphere, and with it, its water. MAVEN is currently executing the 9th stellar occultation campaign of the mission. These campaigns … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN observes Phobos in ultraviolet

NASA scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how Mars’ moon Phobos formed. In late November and early December 2015, the MAVEN mission made a series of close approaches to the Martian moon Phobos, collecting data from within 300 … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN measures speed & rate of Mars atmosphere loss by solar wind stripping

The MAVEN mission has identified the process that appears to have played a key role in the transition of the Martian climate from an early, warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold, arid planet … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off