On Sunday the MAVEN spacecraft entered
Mars' orbit. NASA launched the MAVEN project in November of 2013 to
study the atmospheric conditions of the red planet. MAVEN (Mars
Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) traveled 442 million miles, or 711
million kilometers to reach its destination. Now that it is in orbit
with Mars it will begin to collect data on magnetic fields, solar
winds, chemical make up, etc. of the atmosphere of our neighbor. The
purpose of the mission is to learn not only the current atmospheric
conditions of the planet, but also give us insight into the history
of Mars' atmosphere, climate, availability of liquid water and
potential for future habitability. This bird-like spacecraft will be
in orbit at different levels of the atmosphere for a year-long
mission. Visiting different levels of the atmosphere will allow a
greater understanding of the whole picture. At its closest MAVEN will
be only 93 miles (150 km) from the surface of Mars and at its highest
will travel 3,728 miles (6,000 km) above the surface. Although I
don't suspect that we earthlings will be headed to inhabit Mars any
time soon, it is fascinating that we are able to use current
technology to put the unwritten historical puzzle of our neighboring
planet back together.
The next NASA launch will be in just a
few days, on September 25th, when the Soyuz rocket will take the new
crew up to the International Space Station. This will be expedition
#41 for the ISS and includes NASA flight engineers Barry Wilmore and
Reid Wiseman. During this mission the scientists will be studying how
microgravity affects the growth of cells through experiments on
plants and fish, and will study meteors entering Earth's atmosphere.
NASA offers a treasure trove of teaching resources concerning the ISS
at http://www.nasa.gov/education/teachstation. We don't always hear
about it in the news, but there are new discoveries being made
everyday in Astronomy, it's worth the time to check them out!
Read more:
More Space Stuff to explore:
Mars and MAVEN activities for kids from
NASA
Excellent video tour of the
International Space Station:
NASA Kid's Club
NASA for Educators
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