Mars Wind Currents Reveal a Surprising Feature - Animations
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- Scientific consulting by:
- Mehdi Benna
- View full credits
MAVEN is the first spacecraft specifically designed to study the Mars upper atmosphere, in order to better understand the evolution of its climate. Now, scientists have analyzed several years of data from MAVEN’s NGIMS instrument and produced the first map of wind currents in the Martian thermosphere (a layer of the upper atmosphere). This map led to an unexpected and surprising discovery – disturbances in high-altitude wind currents on Mars are caused by terrain features such as mountains and valleys on the planet’s surface.
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Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
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Animator
- Jonathan North (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Scientists
- Mehdi Benna (UMBC) [Lead]
- Kali Roeten (University of Michigan)
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Art director
- Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Support
- Paul Mahaffy (NASA/GSFC)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
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Principal investigator
- Bruce Jakosky (LASP)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Related Pages
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ID: 4755 Visualization
Mars Upper Level Winds Observed by MAVEN - Visualizations
Read moreMAVEN observes upper level Martian winds over the course of about two years. || maven_upper_winds_60fps.0104__cam_mainShape_190909182423_beauty.1780_print.jpg (1024x576) [42.9 KB] || maven_upper_winds_60fps.0104__cam_mainShape_190909182423_beauty.1780_searchweb.png (320x180) [49.1 KB] || maven_upper_winds_60fps.0104__cam_mainShape_190909182423_beauty.1780_thm.png (80x40) [4.0 KB] || maven_upper_winds_campaigns_1080p60.mp4 (1920x1080) [51.0 MB] || maven_upper_winds_campaigns_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [46.4 MB] || maven_upper_winds.0104_cam_mainShape_190909182423_beauty_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [9.6 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/campaigns/ (3840x2160) [512.0 KB] || 4755_MAVEN_Wind_Currents_Full.mov (3840x2160) [9.7 GB] || maven_upper_winds_campaigns_2160p60.mp4 (3840x2160) [162.2 MB] || maven_upper_winds_campaigns_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [146.8 MB] ||
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ID: 4702 Infographic
MAVEN Aerobraking to Achieve Science and Relay Orbit
Read moreAerobraking plan for MAVEN. (left) Current MAVEN orbit around Mars — 6200-km highest altitude, and an orbit period of ~4.5 hours. (center) Aerobraking process — MAVEN performs a series of “deep dip” orbits approaching to within ~125 km of Mars at lowest altitude, causing drag from the atmosphere slow down the spacecraft. Over roughly three-hundred and sixty orbits spanning about two months, this slowing reduces the spacecraft’s highest altitude to ~4500 km and its orbit period to ~3.5 hours. (right) Post-aerobraking orbit, with reduced altitude and shorter orbit period. || maven_aerobraking_comp_03_print.jpg (1024x576) [90.4 KB] || MavenAerobrakingDiagram.jpg (3840x2160) [679.4 KB] || maven_aerobraking_comp_03_searchweb.png (320x180) [38.7 KB] || maven_aerobraking_comp_03_thm.png (80x40) [4.9 KB] || maven_aerobraking_comp_03.tif (3840x2160) [23.8 MB] ||
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ID: 20222 Animation
MAVEN Deep Dip
Read moreMAVEN Deep Dip Animation || MavenDeepDip_00000_print.jpg (1024x576) [84.1 KB] || MavenDeepDip_00000_searchweb.png (320x180) [52.3 KB] || MavenDeepDip_00000_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || MavenDeepDip.webm (1920x1080) [3.5 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_60p/ (1920x1080) [128.0 KB] || MavenDeepDip.mp4 (1920x1080) [16.2 MB] || MavenDeepDipH264.mov (1920x1080) [76.0 MB] || MavenDeepDip.mov (1920x1080) [1.6 GB] ||
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ID: 13625 Produced Video
First Map of Mars Electric Currents
Read moreMAVEN data have enabled the first map of the electric current systems (blue and red arrows) that shape the induced magnetic field surrounding Mars.Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/SVSUniversal Production Music: “A Lucid Dream” and “Shimmer Oscillations” by James Joshua OttoWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || MarsElectricCurrentsPreview6_print.jpg (1024x576) [305.8 KB] || MarsElectricCurrentsPreview6.jpg (1920x1080) [853.6 KB] || MarsElectricCurrentsPreview6_searchweb.png (320x180) [50.6 KB] || MarsElectricCurrentsPreview6_thm.png (80x40) [5.3 KB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_Facebook.mp4 (1920x1080) [359.1 MB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_Twitter.mp4 (1280x720) [63.8 MB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_MASTER.mov (3840x2160) [14.2 GB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_YouTube.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.8 GB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_YouTube.webm (3840x2160) [91.7 MB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_Captions.en_US.srt [7.2 KB] || 13625_Mars_Electric_Currents_Captions.en_US.vtt [6.8 KB] ||
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ID: 13485 Produced Video
Mars Wind Currents Reveal a Surprising Feature
Read moreBy measuring windspeed and direction in the Mars upper atmosphere, MAVEN has discovered that high-altitude wind currents are being disturbed by terrain features far below.Credit: NASA/Goddard/MAVEN/CU Boulder/University of MichiganUniversal Production Music: “Glacial Shifts” by James Joshua OttoWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || FACEBOOK_720_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [216.5 MB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_print.jpg (1024x576) [77.9 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview.jpg (3840x2160) [399.6 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [57.6 KB] || 13485_MarsUpperWinds_Preview_thm.png (80x40) [4.8 KB] || CH28_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_ch28.mov (1280x720) [1.8 GB] || TWITTER_720_13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [37.3 MB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER.webm (960x540) [78.1 MB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_MASTER.mov (3840x2160) [19.2 GB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_YouTube.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.0 GB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_Captions.en_US.srt [4.2 KB] || 13485_Mars_Upper_Winds_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.2 KB] ||
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