MAVEN Stories
Multiple Spacecraft Tell the Story of One Giant Solar Storm
April 17, 2021, was a day like any other day on the Sun, until a brilliant flash erupted and an enormous cloud of solar material billowed away from our star. Such outbursts from the Sun are not unusual, but this…
NASA’s MAVEN Observes the Disappearing Solar Wind
In December 2022, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission observed the dramatic and unexpected “disappearance” of a stream of charged particles constantly emanating off the Sun, known as the solar wind. This was caused by a special type…
NASA’s Mars Fleet Will Still Conduct Science While Lying Low
Rovers and orbiters will continue collecting limited data during a two-week communications pause due to the position of Earth, the Sun, and the Red Planet. NASA will hold off sending commands to its Mars fleet for two weeks, from Nov.…
NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Stuns with Ultraviolet Views of Red Planet
NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission acquired stunning views of Mars in two ultraviolet images taken at different points along our neighboring planet’s orbit around the Sun.
MAVEN Status Update
NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft entered safe mode on Feb. 16 after encountering an issue with its Inertial Measurement Unit, which measures the spacecraft rate of rotation for use in determining its pointing.
NASA’s MAVEN Observes Martian Light Show Caused by Major Solar Storm
For the first time in its eight years orbiting Mars, NASA’s MAVEN mission witnessed two different types of ultraviolet aurorae simultaneously, the result of solar storms that began on Aug. 27. MAVEN – the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission…
MAVEN and EMM Make First Observations of Patchy Proton Aurora at Mars
NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission and the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) have released joint observations of dynamic proton aurora events at Mars. Remote auroral observations by EMM paired with in-situ plasma observations made by…
NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Resumes Science & Operations, Exits Safe Mode
NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission returned to normal science and relay operations on May 28, 2022, after recovering from an extended safe mode event. The spacecraft encountered problems in February with its Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs).…
Status Update on NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft
On February 22, 2022, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft went into safe mode when the spacecraft’s Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) began exhibiting anomalous behavior. The spacecraft is currently out of safe mode, stable and in Earth-nadir mode, pointing its high gain antenna…
Update: NASA Extends Exploration for 8 Planetary Science Missions
Editor’s Note: On May 26, 2022 NASA’s New Horizons mission’s second extended mission proposal was approved for implementation. In the two-year extended mission, New Horizons will conduct multi-disciplinary observations contributing to important science for NASA’s Planetary Science, Heliophysics and Astrophysics…