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Chapter 9: Problem 59

Go to the website for the \(M A V E N\) mission, scheduled for launch in late 2013 (http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven). What are the scientific goals of the mission? Will this mission be a lander, an orbiter, or a flyby? What instruments will be used? How will this mission contribute to the understanding of climate change on Mars? Go to the NASA Web pages for \(M A V E N\) (http://nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/ index.html). Has it been launched? Has it arrived on Mars? Is it taking data; are there any results?

Short Answer

Expert verified
MAVEN aims to study Mars' atmosphere and climate change; it is an orbiter. It uses instruments such as spectrometers and magnetometers. It's launched, arrived, and is collecting data with some results published.

Step by step solution

01

Visit the MAVEN mission webpage

Go to the MAVEN mission webpage at http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven and http://nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html.
02

Identify the scientific goals

Review the mission objectives to determine the scientific goals of MAVEN. This includes understanding its purpose and the questions it seeks to answer about Mars.
03

Determine the type of mission

Find out whether MAVEN is a lander, an orbiter, or a flyby by looking at the mission description.
04

List the instruments used

Identify the scientific instruments that MAVEN is equipped with by reviewing the mission details and instrument payload.
05

Understand the mission's contribution to climate change knowledge

Investigate how the data collected by MAVEN will help scientists understand climate change on Mars. Look for specific studies or hypotheses mentioned in the mission information.
06

Check the mission's status

Visit the provided NASA page to check if MAVEN has been launched and if it has arrived on Mars. Look for any status updates or news.
07

Confirm data collection and results

Determine if MAVEN is currently taking data and if there are any published results or findings. Check for recent publications or updates on the mission page.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Mars Climate Change
Mars has undergone significant climate changes over millions of years. The MAVEN mission aims to understand these changes by studying the upper atmosphere. Mars once had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water on its surface. By analyzing escaping gases, scientists can piece together the history of Mars' atmosphere. The loss of atmospheric gases to space, influenced by solar wind and radiation, is a key focus.
This data is crucial to understanding why Mars transitioned from a warm, wet planet to the cold, arid world we see today.
Mars Orbiter
The MAVEN mission is an orbiter, meaning it travels around Mars to collect data. Unlike landers or rovers, orbiters can cover large areas and provide a global picture of the planet. MAVEN's elliptical orbit allows it to study different layers of the atmosphere. This vantage point is essential for observing atmospheric escape and interacting with solar wind.
By consistently orbiting Mars, MAVEN can gather long-term atmospheric data, enhancing our understanding of Martian climate and evolution over time.
Scientific Instruments on Mars Mission
MAVEN is equipped with a suite of scientific instruments designed to study the Martian atmosphere. These include:
  • Particles and Fields Package (PFP) to analyze the solar wind and ionosphere.
  • Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) to study the composition of neutral gases and ions.
  • Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS) to measure the upper atmosphere's composition.
Each instrument contributes to the overarching goals of understanding atmospheric composition, structure, and escape processes.
These tools allow scientists to gather detailed data on how the Sun affects the Martian atmosphere and drives climate changes.
NASA Mars Missions
NASA has sent numerous missions to Mars, each with unique objectives. MAVEN, launched in November 2013, continues this legacy. These missions aim to study various aspects of Mars, including its geology, climate, and potential for life. High-profile missions include the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, which explore the surface, and orbiters like Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Together, these missions offer a comprehensive view of Mars, enabling scientists to answer fundamental questions about the planet's past and present environment.
Mars Atmosphere Study
Understanding the Martian atmosphere is crucial for unraveling the planet's mysteries. MAVEN's primary goal is to study how Mars' atmosphere interacts with the solar wind. The upper atmosphere holds clues to atmospheric loss over time. Key processes include:
  • The stripping of atmospheric particles by solar wind.
  • Photochemical reactions caused by solar radiation.
By examining these processes, MAVEN can help determine how much atmosphere Mars has lost and inform theories about the planet's habitability.
Insights from MAVEN not only help us understand Mars but also offer clues about the atmospheres of other planets, including Earth.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Auroras do not happen on the Moon, because the Moon a. does not have a strong magnetic field. b. does not have an atmosphere. c. is protected from the solar wind by Earth. d. both a and b

At the end of the film Total Recall\((1990\) ), Arnold Schwarzenegger's character presses an alien button, the martian volcanoes start spewing, and within a few minutes the martian sky is blue, the atmospheric pressure is Earth-like, and the atmosphere is totally breathable. (Probably you can find the scene online.) What, scientifically, is wrong with this scene? That is, why would volcanic gases not quickly create a breathable atmosphere on Mars?

The ability of wind to erode the surface of a planet is related in part to the wind's kinetic energy. a. Compare the kinetic energy of a cubic meter of air at sea level on Earth (mass \(1.23 \mathrm{kg}\) ) moving at a speed of \(10 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) with a cubic meter of air at the surface of Venus (mass \(64.8 \mathrm{kg}\) ) moving at \(1 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\). b. Compare the kinetic-energy value you determined for Earth in part (a) with that of a cubic meter of air at the surface of Mars (mass \(0.015 \mathrm{kg}\) ) moving at a speed of \(50 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\). c. Why do you think there is not more evidence of wind erosion on Earth?

Oxygen molecules \(\left(\mathrm{O}_{2}\right)\) are 16 times as massive as hydrogen molecules \(\left(\mathrm{H}_{2}\right)\). Carbon dioxide molecules \(\left(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\right)\) are 22 times as massive as \(\mathrm{H}_2.\) a. Compare the average speed of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) and \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\), molecules in a volume of air. b. Does this ratio depend on air temperature?

Climate change: a. Go to the timeline on the "Discovery of Global Warming" Web page of the American Institute of Physics (http://aip org/history/climate/timeline.htm). When did scientists first suspect that \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) produced by humans might affect Earth's temperature? When were other anthropogenic greenhouse gases identified? When did scientific opinion about global warming start to converge? Click on "Venus \(\&\) Mars"; how did observations of these planets add to an understanding of global climate change? Click on "Aerosols"; how do these contribute to "global dimming"? b. Go to the website for NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (www.giss.nasa.gov), click on "Datasets \(\&\) Images," and select "GISS Surface Air Temperature Analysis." The graphs are updated every year. Note that the temperature is compared to a baseline of the average temperature in \(1951-80 .\) What has happened with the temperature in the last few years? If the annual mean decreased, does that change the trend? What does the 5-year running mean show? How much warmer is it on average now than in \(1880 ?\) c. Go to NOAA's "Trend in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide" Web page on carbon dioxide levels at the observatory on Mauna Loa (http://esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/ mlo.html). What is the current level of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) ? How does this compare with the level from 1 year ago? Scroll down the page and click on "A description of how we make measurements at Mauna Loa." Why is this a good site for measuring \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) ? What exactly is measured? Are the numbers cross-checked with other measurements?
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