NASA MAVEN Enters Orbit Tonight
In their missions to Mars, NASA has found that the red planet has had an atmosphere that has changed over time, from one that could potentially supports life to the barren planet it is today.With the changes happening to the Earth’s atmosphere, scientists want to find ways to learn about what is going to happen and if there is anything that can be done to stop it.
On November 18, 2013, NASA launched the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission to Mars. MAVEN will look to study the effects that the Sun had on the atmosphere of Mars. After being launched 10 months ago, MAVEN is set to enter Mars’ atmosphere at approximately 9:50 pm EDT, on September 21, according to the mission’s official twitter account, @MAVEN2Mars. Over the next year, the mission will study the atmosphere of Mars.
— NASA's MAVEN Mission (@MAVEN2Mars) September 21, 2014
It will orbit between 93 and 3728 miles above the surface of Mars, according to NASA, and at these heights, it will be able to sample the gas and ion compositions of the upper atmosphere and carry out ultraviolet imaging of the planet. This will allow for a detailed understanding of the properties of Mars’ atmosphere.
NASA TV will be live streaming the insertion into the orbit of Mars beginning at 9:30pm EDT.