The US Space Agency, NASA has launched its newest Mars Probe towards the Red plant on Monday, 18th November, 2013. The mission objective of MAVEN is to determine how the Martian atmosphere transformed the world into the desolate wasteland it is today.
A perfect launch on an Atlas V rocket has sent the MAVEN spacecraft on her way to Mars. The robotic spacecraft called as "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Probe (MAVEN) was launched atop Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 01:28 PM EST (!8:28 GMT) beginning its 10 month journey to the Mars.
The spacecraft coasted for about half an hour following the two stage burn of Atlas and Centaur. The Centaur was fired again to place MAVEN on a direct-to-Mars trajectory. The MAVEN after separating from Centaur quickly established contact with Earth through the low gain antenna. The solar panels were deployed few minutes later and started charging the batteries.
The signals of MAVEN were picked up by two 34-meter Deep Space Network antennae in Australia shortly after the launch. The MAVEN spacecraft is going to study Mars's high atmosphere and try to understand the processes which robbed the world of most of its air. Evidence shows that the Red planet once had a thick blanket of gases which supported presence of liquid water at its surface. Today the air pressure is very low that free water would instantly boil away.
The MAVEN spacecraft was released from Atlas 53 minutes after leaving the Cape Canaveral launch pad. The MAVEN will perform four trajectory corrections during the course of long cruise with the first scheduled on 3rd December, 2013. These manouvres ensure that the orbiter will arrive at right place and time to go into the orbit around Mars on 22nd sept, 2014.
Maven also carries equipment to relay data to Earth from Curiosity and other Mars rovers
Here is a Video showing the lift off of MAVEN on 18th November, 2013.
A perfect launch on an Atlas V rocket has sent the MAVEN spacecraft on her way to Mars. The robotic spacecraft called as "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Probe (MAVEN) was launched atop Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 01:28 PM EST (!8:28 GMT) beginning its 10 month journey to the Mars.
The spacecraft coasted for about half an hour following the two stage burn of Atlas and Centaur. The Centaur was fired again to place MAVEN on a direct-to-Mars trajectory. The MAVEN after separating from Centaur quickly established contact with Earth through the low gain antenna. The solar panels were deployed few minutes later and started charging the batteries.
The signals of MAVEN were picked up by two 34-meter Deep Space Network antennae in Australia shortly after the launch. The MAVEN spacecraft is going to study Mars's high atmosphere and try to understand the processes which robbed the world of most of its air. Evidence shows that the Red planet once had a thick blanket of gases which supported presence of liquid water at its surface. Today the air pressure is very low that free water would instantly boil away.
The MAVEN spacecraft was released from Atlas 53 minutes after leaving the Cape Canaveral launch pad. The MAVEN will perform four trajectory corrections during the course of long cruise with the first scheduled on 3rd December, 2013. These manouvres ensure that the orbiter will arrive at right place and time to go into the orbit around Mars on 22nd sept, 2014.
Maven also carries equipment to relay data to Earth from Curiosity and other Mars rovers
Here is a Video showing the lift off of MAVEN on 18th November, 2013.
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