Planets and Moons  ID: 11992

Mapping Mars' Upper Atmosphere

Released on September 2, 2015
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Principal Investigator Bruce Jakosky talks about MAVEN’s science observations at Mars.

Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.

For complete transcript, click here.

High above the thin Martian skies, NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft is carrying out a mission: determine how Mars lost its early atmosphere, and with it, its water. While previous Mars orbiters have peered down at the planet’s surface, MAVEN is spending part of its time gazing at the stars, looking for subtle changes in their color as they dip through the limb of Mars and set below the horizon. Such stellar occultations reveal what the atmosphere is made of, and how its composition varies with altitude. MAVEN’s observations are providing the most detailed picture of the Mars upper atmosphere to date, helping scientists understand how Mars turned from a warm and wet planet in its youth, into the forbidding desert that we see today.
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MAVEN gazes at the setting stars during one of its stellar occultation campaigns.
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MAVEN's near-polar orbit gives it latitudinal coverage of the Martian atmosphere, while the planet's daily rotation provides longitudinal coverage.
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During its periodic "deep dip" campaigns, MAVEN lowers its closest approach to only 125 km above Mars, dipping into the upper atmosphere to measure it in situ.
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When water molecules are split apart in the Martian atmosphere, the resulting hydrogen atoms escape more easily from the planet than the heavier oxygen atoms.
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Before MAVEN entered its final science-mapping orbit, it observed carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen at varying altitudes above Mars. The heavier carbon and oxygen atoms cling tightly to Mars, while hydrogen atoms extend far above the planet.
 

Related

Terraforming the Martian Atmosphere
Mars Proton Aurora
Solar Wind and Mars Bow Shock
Solar Wind Strips the Martian Atmosphere
Imaging Stars From Mars
MAVEN Stellar Occultation Atmospheric Coverage
MAVEN Stellar Occultation
MAVEN Deep Dip

For More Information

NASA.gov

Credits

Scientist:
Bruce Jakosky (LASP)

Producer:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Lead Animator:
Walt Feimer (HTSI)

Animators:
Brian Monroe (USRA)
Michael Lentz (USRA)
Chris Smith (Self)

Data Visualizers:
Kel Elkins (USRA)
Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)

Videographer:
Rob Andreoli (AIMM)

Production Assistant:
John Caldwell (AIMM)

Editor:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11992

Mission:
MAVEN: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN

This item is part of these series:
Narrated Movies
MAVEN

Goddard TV Tape:
G2015-007 -- MAVEN Sci Early

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Mars
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere
SVS >> Spectroscopy
SVS >> MAVEN
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons
SVS >> Spectrograph
SVS >> Martian Atmosphere
SVS >> Mars Atmosphere
SVS >> Mars Upper Atmosphere

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0