MAVEN Aerobraking to Achieve Science and Relay Orbit

By 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. 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. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2019/mars-wind-map)

By 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. 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. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2019/mars-wind-map)

A fleet of landers, rovers, and orbiters is exploring the Red Planet, providing mission controllers with a remote presence on Mars. This visualization is available for download in 4K Ultra HD. A fleet of robotic spacecraft is exploring the Red Planet, sending back an ever-growing flood of data. While rovers like Curiosity blaze tracks through the fine Martian soil, orbiters like MAVEN and MRO circle high overhead, gazing down at the planet s orbit. This version does not include the landers. Available for download in 4K Ultra HD. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://mars.nasa.gov/)

MAVEN Deep Dip Animation NASA s orbit is lowered to only 125 km at closest approach, dipping into the upper atmosphere to study it in situ.This animation depicts MAVEN maneuvering from its normal science orbit to the deep dip orbit and back. The animation is available for download in broadcast-quality HD and can be looped. MAVEN Deep Dip Textless For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html)

This visualization shows how the MAVEN spacecraft orbit changes as it progresses from the initial, highly elliptical entry orbit to a somewhat less elliptical orbit and finally to the science orbit. MAVEN s orbit transitions from the insertion orbit to a tighter science orbit