Not sure if this has been touched on before, I did not see a place for the MAVEN mission on the Past or Future missions subsection.
1)Will MAVEN have the ability to relay communication from the surface vehicles to Earth?
2)Am I correct in reading there are no visual cameras on MAVEN?
Fair Use.
http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/science/instrument-package/
The Particles and Fields Package, built by the University of California, Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) with support from the University of Colorado Boulder/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), contains six instruments that will characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of the planet:
•Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA)
•Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA)
•Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC)
•Solar Energetic Particle (SEP)
•Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW)
•Magnetometer (MAG)
The Remote Sensing Package, built by LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere via remote sensing.
•Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer (IUVS)
The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS), provided by GFSC, will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions.
Apologies in advance if this has already been answered. (btw I think we do need a MAVEN sticky in future missions)
John (Mars)
"NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will provide navigation support, the Deep Space Network, and Electra telecommunications relay package."
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/overview/index.html
So yes to Q1.
As far as I recall it's going to be NASA policy to fly a relay package on all NASA orbiters, and proberbly ESA has the same policy.
Yes to both questions. However, MAVEN will not as useful for surface communications since it will be in a highly elliptical orbit. It's possible after several years they might adjust the orbit to make it more comm-friendly, but I wouldn't count on it. For that very reason, a *possible* 2018 orbiter will almost certainly have future lander comm as one its primary objectives.
NASA pays to put an Elektra comm package on all Mars-bound spacecraft and will pay for one on the 2016 ESA Trace Gas Orbiter if/when it flys. That, in fact, is the only remaining US contribution to that mission.
Thanks, That was what I had assumed (Telecom on all orbiters) but could not find any mention (without knowing the Elektra package was that).
As much as I wish all missions could be mobile rovers / Sample Return / Human Exploration setup missions, we certainly need coverage for our landers and orbital relay capability. I was sad to see the MTO cancelled.
I will have my mini mission control set up for next Sunday / Monday mornings MSL landing (with Odyssey thankfully back on track) which led me to that question about coverage.
Thanks again.
John
I believe the plan with MAVEN is to park it in a good orbit for communications once the primary mission objectives are achieved, I think I heard that on a conference one time. It would be illogical to put an electra onboard that could hardly be utilized.
Per Bruce Jakosky at the pre-AGU MAVEN workshop, MAVEN's nominal orbit is not as unfriendly to rover/lander comm as one might think just by eyeball.
For the 2020 rover mission, NASA is planning on having the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and ESA/Russia's Trace Gas Orbiter. I believe the Odyssey will run out of fuel before then. MRO would be especially important for detailed imaging, although it has been actively imaging a list of candidate sites. I think that prophylactic imaging covers only the potential landing eclipse, not the full extent of the possible roving area. Anyone know for sure?
http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385Post%3aa713ed4b-be04-4821-904c-fd0aa8d0f198
Was it ever explained why the ends of the solar panels are bent inward like that? Does it have to do with the magnetometers? I don't see how that angling would provide more power.
A very fine example of learning from experience & making improvements, I'd say. That's how it works.
And the other option, putting the magnetometers on their own booms, would probably have been too heavy. Makes sense.
This, of course, would not be the first time a Mars probe has had some kind of "trim flaps" at the tips of its solar panels, and the reasoning was similar, if not exactly the same.
Mariners 3 and 4 (of which only Mariner 4 survived launch) had small triangular trim tabs at the ends of its solar panels. This was not for aerodynamics, but for pressure dynamics. They were used to take advantage of the pressure of the solar wind to help keep the spacecraft stable.
IIRC, the stabilizing force was so minuscule that follow-on probes omitted this kind of feature. They weren't worth the weight penalty. Now that we're dealing with much thicker gasses than the solar wind (with aerobraking maneuvers), adding stabilizing tabs apparently becomes worth the weight penalty.
-the other Doug
About the angled panels: As a previous poster said, the panels are angled so that the craft is stable when flying through the atmosphere. What no one has noted is why it needs to be stable. Maven is NOT going to aerobrake. It goes initially into a 35-hour highly elliptical orbit, but after a couple of days it performs another powered maneuver to lower the period from 35 hours to 4.5 hours, all in one burn.
The spacecraft performs periodic deep dips, to allow the instruments on board to touch, smell, and taste the atmosphere. It dips in to the upper atmosphere, as low as the scientists could convince the engineers to go, stays low for a couple of (4.5 hour) orbits, then raises periapse back out of the atmosphere. It does this several times (5 times planned for the prime 1-earth-year mission) because the orbit precesses such that the periapse latitude changes, and therefore the spacecraft can deep-dip at a variety of latitudes.
So, the panels are angled to be stable, and it needs to be stable not for aerobraking but for deep dips.
Also, the science orbit is not optimal for relay, and the relay orbit is not optimal for science. At some point, the plan is to maneuver from an orbit more friendly to science to an orbit more friendly to relay, for sure after the 1-earth-year prime mission is complete, but as late as the scientists can convince the project managers. The relay equipment on Mars Odyssey and Mars Recon Orbiter both still work fine, but they won't last forever. Maven is a backup/replacement for those.
I have never heard about a plan for a terminal deep-dip, and from what I can tell, the scientists would prefer a longer mission to going out in a blaze of glory, even if relay were not an issue.
MAVEN was always going to serve as a relay, and it's orbit was going to be changed to enable that.
Send your name and a message to Mars with MAVEN.
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/may/HQ_13-125_MAVEN_Name_to_Mars.html
I think this is the first time that names were collected for a Mars orbiter mission and not a lander/rover. I guess MAVEN wasn't getting as much attention in the public as NASA would like.
I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I'm writing a piece for my blog on possible future planetary smallsats. I want to use MAVEN as an example of the current state-of-the-art Discovery-class mission (the rules for the Mars Scout program were very similar). I've looked all over the web, but I can't find out what the total mass of MAVEN's instruments will be. Do any of you know or have a lead of where I might look?
Thanks!
Mike, do you have any idea when they're planning to ship MAVEN to the Cape?
Ah; thanks. I thought that you guys were somehow involved otherwise; did not realize that MSSS was solely about imaging. Mere curiosity is all.
a long article on MAVEN in the latest issue of Aviation Week:
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_08_26_2013_p40-603759.xml&p=1#
Hi Paolo.
I'm a little worried about Maven's launch. Could the governement shutdown threaten the launch?
A lot of people are worried about MAVEN launch status; http://www.planetary.org/blogs/casey-dreier/2013/20130930-a-government-shutdown-could-delay-maven.html. MAVEN tweeted some specifics this morning before shutting down their Twitter for the duration; those tweets are now included at the bottom of Casey's post.
Please no speculative chitchat. On the other hand, if anyone reading here has useful, well-sourced information about MAVEN status, please post.
Thanks Emily for this fast reply. So we will stay stuned with hope.
It's useful, it's well sourced, but I can't reveal my source and you don't know me, so take it for what it's worth: Maven has been given orders to continue, and will not be further affected by the shutdown. This is as of this morning.
Very please to know that. Thank you very much Kwan3217 for this wonderfull news.
I have one more question: you saw, i used to participated in a french forum about space exploration, and they are worried about Maven status to. So, can i quote you in these french forum or do you prefer i not?
Edit: As you said i don´t know you and this forum is for public eyes so, i presume it's not a big deal if i quote you.
I can now reveal my source:
It's good news whatever reason, relay or science. A launch is a launch, after all...
Thanks for the info!
The exemption has made the news.
http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/technology/articles/Mars-Mission-Granted-Exmeption-from-Government/10/4/2013/id/52083?camp=syndication&medium=portals&from=yahoo
I particularly noted the last sentence: "Although work has begun again on the project, the scientists and engineers involved, who are now working overtime, are not receiving any pay."
The scientists and engineers are my heroes.
Go Maven!!!
MAVEN's Atlas V vehicle is ready for its Wet Dress Rehearsal tomorrow...while the DVD containing about 100,000 names plus haikus submitted online is now attached to a solar array
http://www.twitter.com/Maven2Mars
I looked for the press kit, but didn't find one. Are they too passe for the internet era?
No, they always produce them. I looked for it today too, and didn't find it. They'll post one closer to the launch date for sure.
The Wet Dress Rehearsal has been successfully completed
https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/395265501774880769/photo/1
MAVEN is now mated to its Atlas V launch vehicle
http://twitter.com/Maven2Mars
Bump... just over half an hour to go. Weather board is green; all systems nominal.
Now at a short built-in hold at T-4 minutes.
Liftoff!
Off the hold.
T-60 seconds.
Liftoff! Go MAVEN!
Through the sound barrier and through Max-Q. 'All rates look good'.
A perfect launch by the sounds of it. Congrats all.
Spacecraft separation. Mars, here we come!
And now we wait...
Also they plan to observe comet ISON, if ISON survives it's trip around the back of the Sun.
some info on the ISON observations https://dnnpro.outer.jhuapl.edu/Portals/32/session2_crismani.pdf
Two instruments have been turned on and checked out: NGIMS and IUVS.
https://www.facebook.com/MAVEN2Mars
in case anyone is interested, I recently asked to the https://twitter.com/MAVEN2Mars whether they went ahead with the planned observations of comet ISON or not and this was the answer:
So MAVEN has already done a couple of Trajectory Correction Maneuvers without any problems. The last, TCM-2, was on February 27. TCM-3 is currently scheduled for September. The MAVEN team is also keeping busy with instrument tests; cruise is only 10 months, so apparently it's actually a pretty busy time.
Anyway, question: at what point would MAVEN get its own subforum under "Orbiters"? After it has successfully achieved Mars orbit and started its nominal mission?
Doug M.
Guys, here she comes.
Fingers crossed.
Once ub orbit, then orbital position will need adjusting over a month or so. I'm sure soon enough we'll start getting some data in after that objective is complete.
What factors lead the team to opt for a series of engine burns to lower the 35 hour capture orbit to the 4.5 hour science orbit instead of the now "standard" aerobraking?
I've tried searching the forum and Google for an answer and can't find one.
If you don't need to use aerobraking....why bother. It takes time, has its own risks, and incurs operational costs. It was an enabling technique for MGS, MODY and MRO. MAVEN can get to the orbit it needs to without aerobraking. It's not like carrying extra propellant cost them anything, they used the lightest launch vehicle available.
There will be quite a bit of aerobraking during the science mission itself, though. That's the whole point of the unique solar panel shape, so as to fly through the atmosphere lower than any other orbiter has gotten.
Also... it's a mistake to think of something as standard if the people involved have never done it before. One reason for other nations to fly these kinds of missions (lunar orbiters, landers, Mars orbiters) is to develop those skills themselves. Until they have done it, it is anything but standard.
Phil
Thanks Doug; that explains it well.
So Odyssey is the record holder unless we exclude MCO, (and I don't think anyone wants to count it today of all days )
Watching the NASA feed, fingers crossed.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#.VB9ySRabE-Z
Successful insertion.
Everything looks good so far on MAVEN.
We had a great track on the 70 metre dish in Canberra today.
Ops team said that it went so smoothly that we could have almost done it completely automated except for the manual switch from LGA to HGA.
Congratulations to MAVEN! Now that it's a Mars orbiter I've created a subforum for it in the Mars Orbiters forum, and http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7895&hl=.
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