MAVEN

News, Quick Facts, Information, and Social Media

Watch the Orbit Insertion News Briefing >>


Press Release 4/10/2017 NASA's MAVEN Reveals Mars Has Metal in its Atmosphere Mars has electrically charged metal atoms (ions) high in its atmosphere, according to new results from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. Read More ››

Press Release	3/30/2017	NASA's MAVEN Reveals Most of Mars' Atmosphere Was Lost to Space ››

Feature	3/2/2017	NASA Orbiter Steers Clear of Mars Moon Phobos ››

Feature	10/19/2016	NASA's MAVEN Mission Observes Ups and Downs of Water Escape from Mars ››

News Archive ››

Latest News
Press Release 4/10/2017 NASA's MAVEN Reveals Mars Has Metal in its Atmosphere Mars has electrically charged metal atoms (ions) high in its atmosphere, according to new results from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. Read More ››

Press Release 3/30/2017 NASA's MAVEN Reveals Most of Mars' Atmosphere Was Lost to Space Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the Martian atmosphere, transforming Mars from a planet that could have supported life billions of years ago into a frigid desert world, according to new results from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. Read More ››

Feature 3/2/2017 NASA Orbiter Steers Clear of Mars Moon Phobos NASA's MAVEN spacecraft performed a previously unscheduled maneuver this week to avoid a collision in the near future with Mars' moon Phobos. Read More ››

Feature 10/19/2016 NASA's MAVEN Mission Observes Ups and Downs of Water Escape from Mars After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, NASA's MAVEN mission has determined that the escaping water does not always go gently into space. Read More ››

Press Release 10/17/2016 NASA's MAVEN Mission Gives Unprecedented Ultraviolet View of Mars 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 Read More ››

Press Release 10/3/2016 NASA'S MAVEN Spacecraft Celebrates One Mars Year of Science Today, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission completed one Mars year of science observations. Read More ››

Press Release 4/21/2016 NASA Seeks Industry Ideas for an Advanced Mars Satellite NASA is soliciting ideas from U.S. industry for designs of a Mars orbiter for potential launch in the 2020s. Read More ››

Feature 3/14/2016 Europe's New Mars Mission Bringing NASA Radios Along Two NASA radios aboard the European Space Agency's Mars mission that launched today are engineered to provide communication relay service for rovers and landers on Mars. Read More ››

Feature 3/9/2016 Close Comet Flyby Threw Mars' Magnetic Field Into Chaos Just weeks before the historic encounter of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) with Mars in October 2014, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft entered orbit around the Red Planet. Read More ››

Press Release 3/1/2016 MAVEN Observes Mars Moon Phobos in the Mid- and Far-Ultraviolet NASA scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how Mars’ moon Phobos formed. Read More ››

Feature 11/24/2015 Loss of Carbon in Martian Atmosphere Explained A process involving ultraviolet light from the sun helps explain the ratio of heavier to lighter carbon in Mars' atmosphere and resolve a dilemma about "missing" carbon. Read More ››

Press Release 11/5/2015 NASA Mission Reveals Speed of Solar Wind Stripping Martian Atmosphere NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (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 Read More ››

Feature 11/2/2015 NASA to Announce New Findings on Fate of Mars' Atmosphere NASA will provide details of key science findings from the agency's ongoing exploration of Mars during a news briefing at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 5 in the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Read More ››

Press Release 9/21/2015 NASA's MAVEN Celebrates One Year at Mars NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft has been in orbit around Mars for one Earth year. Read More ››

Press Release 6/3/2015 Mars Missions to Pause Commanding in June, Due to Sun Next month, Mars will swing almost directly behind the sun from Earth's perspective, and this celestial geometry will lead to diminished communications with spacecraft at Mars. Read More ››

Press Release 5/11/2015 Auroras on Mars In late Dec. 2014, NASA's MAVEN spacecraft detected evidence of widespread auroras in Mars's northern hemisphere. Read More ››

Feature 4/7/2015 The Solar System and Beyond is Awash in Water Next time you sip a humble glass of H2O, consider this: The story of water connects each of us to processes that shape our universe. Read More ››

Press Release 3/18/2015 NASA Spacecraft Detects Aurora and Mysterious Dust Cloud around Mars NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has observed two unexpected phenomena in the Martian atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 2/19/2015 NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Completes First Deep Dip Campaign NASA'S Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution has completed the first of five deep-dip maneuvers designed to gather measurements closer to the lower end of the Martian upper atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 12/15/2014 NASA's MAVEN Mission Identifies Links in Chain Leading to Atmospheric Loss Early discoveries by NASA's newest Mars orbiter are starting to reveal key features about the loss of the planet's atmosphere to space over time. Read More ››

Status Report 11/20/2014 MAVEN Mission Status Updates UPDATE: As of Friday, Nov. 28, the MAVEN science instruments have been turned back on following safe-mode recovery, and we have resumed collecting science data. Read More ››

Status Report 11/17/2014 MAVEN Completes Commissioning And Begins Its Primary Science Mission The MAVEN spacecraft completed its commissioning activities on November 16 and has formally begun its one-year primary science mission. Read More ››

Press Release 11/10/2014 Newest NASA Mars Orbiter Demonstrates Relay Prowess The relay radio on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has completed a successful test of receiving Mars rover data, which MAVEN then forwarded to Earth. Read More ››

Press Release 11/7/2014 Mars Spacecraft Reveal Comet Flyby Effects on Martian Atmosphere Two NASA and one European spacecraft that obtained the first up-close observations of a comet flyby of Mars on Oct. 19, have gathered new information about the basic properties of the comet's nucleus and directly detected the effects on the Martian atmosp Read More ››

Feature 11/5/2014 NASA to Discuss Science Findings of Oct. 19 Comet Flyby of Mars A NASA media telecon on Friday, Nov. 7, will provide initial science observations of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring's close flyby of Mars and the impact on the Martian atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 10/19/2014 All Three NASA Mars Orbiters Healthy After Comet Flyby All three NASA orbiters around Mars confirmed their healthy status Sunday after each took shelter behind Mars during a period of risk from dust released by a passing comet. Read More ››

Status Report 10/19/2014 NASA's MAVEN Studies Passing Comet and Its Effects NASA's newest orbiter at Mars, MAVEN, took precautions to avoid harm from a dust-spewing comet that flew near Mars today and is studying the flyby's effects on the Red Planet's atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 10/14/2014 NASA Mission Provides Its First Look at Martian Upper Atmosphere NASA's MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars sees a solar-particle storm, gets ultraviolet images of tenuous oxygen, hydrogen and carbon coronas, and yields a map of variable ozone. Read More ››

Status Report 10/10/2014 MAVEN Status Update: October 10, 2014 Since Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) on September 21st, things have gone extremely well with the MAVEN spacecraft and the instruments that have been activated thus far. Read More ››

Press Release 10/10/2014 NASA Shares Early Results From MAVEN Mars Orbiter NASA will host a news teleconference on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to announce early science results from its MAVEN mission. Read More ››

Feature 9/23/2014 CME Week: Coronal Mass Ejections at Mars Two main types of explosions occur on the sun: solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Unlike the energy and X-rays produced in a solar flare - which can reach Earth at the speed of light in eight minutes - coronal mass ejections are giant clouds of sola Read More ››

Status Report 9/22/2014 MAVEN Status Update: Sept. 22, 2014 Right on schedule last night at 9:50 p.m. EDT, the MAVEN spacecraft fired its main engines for 33 minutes and 26 seconds in order to slow down the spacecraft enough to capture into Mars orbit. Read More ››

Feature 9/22/2014 NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Reaches Mars NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft successfully entered Mars' orbit at 10:24 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 21, where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere as never done before. Read More ››

Press Release 9/21/2014 NASA's Newest Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit NASA's MAVEN spacecraft successfully entered Mars' orbit at 7:24 p.m. PDT (10:24 p.m. EDT) Sunday, Sept. 21, where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 9/20/2014 NASA Opens Challenge to Participate in Future Mars Missions NASA announced Saturday the opening of registration for its Mars Balance Mass Challenge and the launch of its new website, NASA Solve, at the World Maker Faire in New York. Read More ››

Press Release 9/19/2014 NASA TV, Web Coverage Set for Sept. 21 Mars Spacecraft Orbit Insertion NASA Television will broadcast live the Sunday, Sept. 21, Mars orbital insertion of the agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, from 9:30 to 10:45 p.m. EDT. Read More ››

Press Release 9/17/2014 NASA Mars Spacecraft Ready for Sept. 21 Orbit Insertion NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is nearing its scheduled Sept. 21 insertion into Martian orbit after completing a 10-month interplanetary journey of 442 million miles. Read More ››

Status Report 9/15/2014 MAVEN Status Update: September 15, 2014 Everything continues to go well with MAVEN as it is readied for arrival at Mars on Sunday, Sept. 21. Read More ››

Press Release 9/15/2014 Media Invited to NASA Goddard for Mars Orbit Insertion Activities Media representatives are invited to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center on Sept. 21 from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, for local coverage and interviews of the orbit insertion countdown activities for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, Read More ››

Status Report 9/12/2014 NASA to hold Sept. 17 Briefing on MAVEN Mars Orbit Insertion, Events Coverage NASA will host a televised media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Sept. 17, to outline activities around the Sunday, Sept. 21 orbital insertion at Mars of the agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft Read More ››

Press Release 9/8/2014 MAVEN spacecraft makes final preparations for Mars On Sept. 21, 2014, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft will complete roughly 10 months of travel and enter orbit around the Red Planet. Read More ››

Status Report 8/30/2014 MAVEN Status Update: August 29, 2014 MAVEN continues on a smooth journey to Mars. All spacecraft systems are operating nominally. Read More ››

Status Report 7/31/2014 MAVEN Status Update: July 31, 2014 MAVEN continues on a smooth journey to Mars. All spacecraft and instrument systems are operating nominally. Read More ››

Press Release 7/25/2014 NASA's Mars Spacecraft Maneuvers to Prepare for Close Comet Flyby NASA is taking steps to protect its Mars orbiters, while preserving opportunities to gather valuable scientific data, as Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring heads toward a close flyby of Mars on Oct. 19. Read More ››

Feature 5/14/2014 MAVEN Solar Wind Ion Analyzer Will Look at Key Player in Mars Atmosphere Loss This past November, NASA launched the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission in the hope of understanding how and why the planet has been losing its atmosphere over billions of years. Read More ››

Feature 2/28/2014 Relay Radio on Mars-Bound NASA Craft Passes Checkout With completion of a checkout of the relay radio on NASA's Mars-bound MAVEN spacecraft, all of the onboard payloads have now successfully passed initial in-flight checkouts. Read More ››

Status Report 2/27/2014 MAVEN Status Update: Feb. 27, 2014 On Feb. 26, mission controllers performed a successful second trajectory correction maneuver, also known as TCM-2. Read More ››

Press Release 2/4/2014 MAVEN on Track to Carry Out its Science Mission The MAVEN spacecraft and all of its science instruments have completed their initial checkout, and all of them are working as expected. Read More ››

Status Report 12/5/2013 MAVEN Status Update: Dec. 5, 2013 All MAVEN instrument sub-systems have been tested and are performing as expected. Read More ››

Feature 12/5/2013 Goddard Planetary Instruments Score a Hat Trick Planetary instruments from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., hit the trifecta on Dec. 4, running three experiments of the same kind at different places in space. Read More ››

Status Report 12/4/2013 MAVEN: Status Update: Dec. 4, 2013 The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass (NGIMS) initial activation occurred at approximately 10:18 a.m. EST this morning. Read More ››

Status Report 12/3/2013 MAVEN: Status Update: Dec. 3, 2013 MAVEN mission controllers performed a successful trajectory correction maneuver, also known as a TCM. Post-maneuver data review shows that TCM-1 went according to plan. Read More ››

Press Release 11/19/2013 Mission Managers Hail Successful MAVEN Launch NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission began with a smooth countdown and flawless launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. Read More ››

Press Release 11/18/2013 NASA Launches Mission to Study Upper Atmosphere of Mars A NASA mission that will investigate how Mars lost its atmosphere and abundant liquid water launched into space at 1:28 p.m. EST Monday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 MAVEN Launch Updates View MAVEN launch updates here! Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 Centaur Begins Second Burn The Centaur upper stage has restarted its RL-10A-4-2 engine, ending the coast phase and ensuring NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is placed on its path to Mars. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 MAVEN, Centaur Enter Coast Phase Flight of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft continues to go well following an on-time launch at 1:28 p.m. EST aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 MAVEN Lifts Off to Mars Liftoff! NASA's MAVEN mission to Mars is beginning with a spectacular launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 Atlas V Rocket Fully Fueled Ahead of MAVEN Launch At T-25 minutes, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 is fully fueled and ready to launch NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. Liftoff is planned for the openi Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 Atlas Liquid Oxygen Loading Under Way The countdown to liftoff of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket continues to progress smoothly. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 MAVEN Launch Countdown Resumes Prelaunch activities are well under way at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where NASA's MAVEN spacecraft and its ride into space, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, are being readied for liftoff at 1:28 p.m. EST. Read More ››

Status Report 11/18/2013 Countdown Enters 30-Minute Built-in Hold Countdown clocks across Cape Canaveral Air Force Station have paused as planned for a 30-minute hold at the T-2 hour mark. Read More ››

Feature 11/15/2013 LeVar Burton Shares MAVEN’s Story in a New NASA PSA Actor LeVar Burton shares the excitement of the mission in a new NASA public service announcement (PSA). Read More ››

Feature 11/15/2013 Mission Manager a Modern Mr. Fix-it Chuck Tatro has always been an engineer at heart. Now he's about to see nearly seven years' worth of engineering effort take off for Mars. Read More ››

Status Report 11/14/2013 MAVEN Powered On Ahead of Launch Controllers turned on the MAVEN spacecraft today as the spacecraft and the Atlas V rocket that will send it to Mars continue on track for launch Monday at 1:28 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Read More ››

Press Release 11/14/2013 NASA Administrator to View Orion Spacecraft and MAVEN Launch Preparations NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will view the latest progress on NASA's Orion spacecraft and launch preparations for the next Mars mission at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Nov. 17. Read More ››

Feature 11/14/2013 MAVEN Seeks to Solve Another Mars Riddle NASA's next Mars explorer soon will leave Earth on a mission to answer one of the Red Planet's greatest conundrums: If our arid celestial neighbor once had a thicker atmosphere and a surface flowing with water, as evidence suggests, how did the climate ch Read More ››

Status Report 11/13/2013 Review Verifies MAVEN, Atlas V and Eastern Range Ready for Launch The Flight Readiness Review was successfully held today at Kennedy Space Center for the launch of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA's MAVEN spacecraft bound for Mars. Read More ››

Status Report 11/13/2013 MAVEN and Atlas V Pass Integrated Systems Test Yesterday the MAVEN spacecraft, operating in unison with its United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, passed a critical electrical test called the Integrated Systems Test. Read More ››

Feature 11/13/2013 NASA Video Illustrates MAVEN Mission's Investigation of a Lost Mars NASA has prepared a new video to illustrate its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission's investigation of dramatic climate change on Mars. Read More ››

Press Release 11/12/2013 What Happened to Mars? A Planetary Mystery Billions of years ago when the planets of our solar system were still young, Mars was a very different world. Read More ››

Press Release 11/12/2013 MAVEN Solar Wind Electron Analyzer Seeks Answers at Microscopic Levels When the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission launches in November to study why the Red Planet is losing its atmosphere, one of its instruments will look to electrically charged particles called electrons for answers. Read More ››

Press Release 11/8/2013 MAVEN Briefings and Events NASA's next Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutionN, or MAVEN, is set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket Nov. 18. Read More ››

Press Release 11/7/2013 MAVEN's Rollout to Launch Complex Rescheduled; Launch Date Unchanged During testing at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a leak was discovered in a ground system gaseous purge line required for the MAVEN spacecraft. Read More ››

Press Release 10/31/2013 What MAVEN Would See on Mars on Halloween The sun has emitted many coronal mass ejections in the week leading up to Oct. 31, 2013, which merged together over time to pass Mars. Read More ››

Press Release 10/28/2013 NASA Prepares to Launch First Mission to Explore Martian Upper Atmosphere A NASA spacecraft that will examine the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail is undergoing final preparations for a scheduled 1:28 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Read More ››

Press Release 10/23/2013 NASA Hosts NASA TV News Briefing on Upcoming Mars Mission NASA will host a news briefing at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 28, to discuss the upcoming launch of the agency's next mission to Mars and the first devoted to understanding the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet. Read More ››

Press Release 9/20/2013 Communications Tests Go the Distance for MAVEN It's not easy to simulate millions of miles electronically, but that's what engineers did recently as they tested the all-important communications system the MAVEN spacecraft will use to relay its study results from Mars orbit to Earth-bound researchers. Read More ››

Press Release 9/17/2013 NASA Hosts Social Media Event at MAVEN Launch in Florida NASA will give 150 of its social media followers an insider's look at America's space program and the opportunity to see a launch in person. Read More ››

Press Release 9/6/2013 MAVEN Paces Through Prelaunch Prep The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, better known as MAVEN, is slated for launch Nov. 18 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Read More ››

Feature 8/8/2013 MAVEN Eyes Mars as Launch Preps Begin MAVEN's approach to Mars studies will be quite different from that taken by recent probes dispatched to the Red Planet. Read More ››

Press Release 8/8/2013 Haiku Selected To Be Carried On Next NASA Mars Mission NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission scheduled to launch in November, will carry over 1,100 personal three-line poems, or haiku. Read More ››

Press Release 8/5/2013 NASA Begins Launch Preparations for Next Mars Mission NASA's next spacecraft going to Mars arrived Friday, Aug. 2, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and is now perched in a cleanroom to begin final preparations for its November launch. Read More ››

Press Release 7/18/2013 MAVEN Spectrometer Opens Window to Red Planet's Past When NASA's MAVEN mission begins its journey to the Red Planet later this year, it will be equipped with a special instrument to take the planet back in time. Read More ››

Feature 5/1/2013 NASA Invites Public To Send Names And Messages To Mars NASA is inviting members of the public to submit their names and a personal message online for a DVD to be carried aboard a spacecraft that will study the Martian upper atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 4/3/2013 Final MAVEN Instrument Integrated to Spacecraft An instrument that will measure the composition of Mars' upper atmosphere has been integrated into NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. MAVEN has a scheduled launch date of Nov. 18. Read More ››

Feature 3/27/2013 Collision Course? A Comet Heads for Mars A comet is heading for Mars, and there is a chance that it might hit the Red Planet in October 2014. An impact wouldn't necessarily mean the end of NASA's Mars program, but it would transform the program along with Mars itself. Read More ››

Feature 3/26/2013 Measuring Mars: The MAVEN Magnetometer When the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission begins its journey to the Red Planet in 2013, it will carry a sensitive magnetic-field instrument built and tested by a team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Read More ››

Press Release 3/14/2013 Particles And Fields Package Integrated On Upcoming Mars Bound Spacecraft The six science instruments that comprise the Particles and Fields Package that will characterize the solar wind and ionosphere of Mars have been integrated aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. Read More ››

Press Release 2/8/2013 NASA'S MAVEN Mission Completes Assembly, Begins Environmental Testing NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is assembled and is undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems facilities, near Denver, Colo. Read More ››

Press Release 12/4/2012 NASA Announces Robust Multi-Year Mars Program; New Rover To Close Out Decade Of New Missions Building on the success of Curiosity's Red Planet landing, NASA has announced plans for a robust multi-year Mars program, including a new robotic science rover set to launch in 2020. Read More ››

Feature 11/16/2012 Instrument Delivered for NASA's Upcoming Mars Mission A remote sensing instrument that will peer into the ultraviolet to offer clues to how Mars might have lost its atmosphere has arrived at Lockheed Martin for integration into NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. Read More ››

Press Release 11/2/2012 NASA Rover Finds Clues to Changes in Mars' Atmosphere NASA's car-sized rover, Curiosity, has taken significant steps toward understanding how Mars may have lost much of its original atmosphere. Read More ››

Press Release 9/11/2012 Next Mars Mission Enters Final Phase Before Launch NASA's Mars Atmosphere And Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission has passed a critical milestone, Key Decision Point-D or KDP-D. Read More ››

Feature 5/21/2012 NASA Goddard Delivers Magnetometers for NASA's Next Mission to Mars agnetometers built by scientists and engineers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. for NASA's Mars Atmosphere And Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission have been delivered to the University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laborator Read More ››

Feature 11/18/2011 New NASA Missions to Investigate How Mars Turned Hostile Maybe because it appears as a speck of blood in the sky, the planet Mars was named after the Roman god of war. From the point of view of life as we know it, that's appropriate. The Martian surface is incredibly hostile for life. Read More ››

Press Release 11/2/2011 NASA Study of Clays Suggests Watery Mars Underground A new NASA study suggests if life ever existed on Mars, the longest lasting habitats were most likely below the Red Planet's surface. Read More ››

Feature 9/26/2011 MAVEN Mission Primary Structure Complete NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission has reached a new milestone. Read More ››

Press Release 7/22/2011 MAVEN Mission Completes Major Milestone The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission reached a major milestone last week when it successfully completed its Mission Critical Design Review (CDR). Read More ››

Feature 10/21/2010 NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Maven Mission NASA has selected United Launch Services, LLC of Littleton, Colo., to launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft known as MAVEN. MAVEN will launch in November 2013 aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Read More ››

Press Release 10/5/2010 NASA gives LASP-led Mars mission green light The effort, known as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission, will explore the past climate of Mars, including its potential for harboring life over the ages. Read More ››

Feature 10/4/2010 Thumbs Up Given For 2013 NASA Mars Orbiter NASA's mission to investigate the mystery of how Mars lost much of its atmosphere has won approval for development, and will move toward a 2013 launch. Read More ››

Press Release 9/15/2008 Selects 'MAVEN' Mission to Study Mars Atmosphere NASA has selected a Mars robotic mission that will provide information about the Red Planet's atmosphere, climate history and potential habitability in greater detail than ever before. Called the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, Read More ››

Press Release 12/21/2007 NASA Delays Mars Scout Mission To 2013 NASA announced today that the next mission in the Mars Scout program, originally planned for launch in 2011, is now targeted for launch in 2013. The schedule slip is because of an organizational conflict of interest that was discovered in one of the missi Read More ››

Press Release 1/11/2007 NASA Selects Proposals for Future Mars Missions and Studies On Monday, NASA selected for concept study development two proposals for future robotic missions to Mars. These missions would increase understanding of Mars' atmosphere, climate and potential habitability in greater detail than ever before. Read More ››

NASA | Targeting Mars

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is quickly approaching Mars on a mission to study its upper atmosphere. When it arrives on September 21, 2014, MAVEN's winding journey from Earth will culminate with a dramatic engine burn, pulling the spacecraft into an elliptical orbit.

Images, Videos, and Interactives

Ultraviolet Mars Reveals Cloud Formation

Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots

Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots (Fixed)

Investigating the Martian Atmosphere

MAVEN Targeting Mars

Colliding Atmospheres: Mars vs Comet Siding Spring

MAVEN Videos
	Ultraviolet Mars Reveals Cloud Formation - 10/17/2016 Images from MAVEN's Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph were used to make this movie of rapid cloud formation on Mars on July 9-10, 2016. The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color, to show what we would see with ultraviolet-sensitive eyes. The movie uses four MAVEN images to show about 7 hours of Mars rotation during this period, and interleaves simulated views that would be seen between the four images. Mars' day is similar to Earth's, so the movie shows just over a quarter day. The left part of the planet is in morning and the right side in afternoon. Mars' prominent volcanoes, topped with white clouds, can be seen moving across the disk. Mars' tallest volcano, Olympus Mons, appears as a prominent dark region near the top of the images, with a small white cloud at the summit that grows during the day. Olympus Mons appears dark because the volcano rises up above much of the hazy atmosphere which makes the rest of the planet appear lighter. Three more volcanoes appear in a diagonal row, with their cloud cover merging to span up to a thousand miles by the end of the day. These images are particularly interesting because they show how rapidly and extensively the clouds topping the volcanoes form in the afternoon. Similar processes occur at Earth, with the flow of winds over mountains creating clouds. Afternoon cloud formation is a common occurrence in the American West, especially during the summer. Watch Video ››

	Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots - 10/14/2014 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 with the ecliptic plane as the comet and MAVEN encounter the Martian region. Credit: NASA/GSFC/SVS Watch Video ››

	Comet Siding Spring Wide Shots (Fixed) - 10/14/2014 This visualization shows MAVEN and Comet Siding Spring making their way through the solar system to a close encounter near Mars. This animation maintains a fixed camera above the ecliptic plane of the solar system. Credit: NASA/GSFC/SVS Watch Video ››

	Investigating the Martian Atmosphere - 9/18/2014 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 that the loss of Mars' water may have been caused by the loss of its early atmosphere. NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission, or MAVEN, will be the first spacecraft devoted to studying the Red Planet's upper atmosphere, in an effort to understand how the Martian climate has changed over time. Watch Video ››

	MAVEN Targeting Mars - 9/12/2014 NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is quickly approaching Mars on a mission to study its upper atmosphere. When it arrives on September 21, 2014, MAVEN's winding journey from Earth will culminate with a dramatic engine burn, pulling the spacecraft into an elliptical orbit. Watch Video ››

	Colliding Atmospheres: Mars vs Comet Siding Spring - 8/06/2014 Comet Siding Spring is about to fly historically close to Mars. The encounter could spark Martian auroras, a meteor shower, and other unpredictable effects. Whatever happens, NASA's fleet of Mars satellites, including MAVEN, will have a ringside seat. Watch Video ››