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MAVEN space probe to reach Mars this weekend

"So far, so good with the performance of the spacecraft and payloads on the cruise to Mars," said David Mitchell.

By Brooks Hays
An artistic rendering of the MAVEN spacecraft, with Mars in the background. (NASA)
An artistic rendering of the MAVEN spacecraft, with Mars in the background. (NASA)

GREENBELT, Md., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- After a 10-month, 442-million-mile-long interplanetary journey, MAVEN, one of NASA's newest space probes, will take a bit of respite. No, MAVEN isn't being decommissioned. But on Sunday, the spacecraft will be inserted into Martian orbit, and to some extent gravity will take over.

Of course, MAVEN will still have to use its thrusters, as it fine-tunes its position and locks into its final orbit during a six-week commissioning phase. The probe will also test its instruments during this time period -- instruments that MAVEN will eventually use to study Mars' upper atmosphere during its year spinning about the Red Planet.

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Scientists are hoping MAVEN can locate clues as to how Mars climate came to be. Today, Mars is a cold, dry place, unfriendly to water. But increasingly, evidence suggests water once flowed across the Martian surface.

"The MAVEN science mission focuses on answering questions about where did the water that was present on early Mars go, about where did the carbon dioxide go," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator of the MAVEN mission. "These are important questions for understanding the history of Mars, its climate, and its potential to support at least microbial life."

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Ultimately, NASA hopes MAVEN will pave the way for a manned-mission to Mars; the more scientists know before the go, the better equipped they'll be to withstand the strange climate and conduct their research efficiently.

But first things first. MAVEN's handlers still have to ensure the probe navigates its way safely into orbit.

"So far, so good with the performance of the spacecraft and payloads on the cruise to Mars," said David Mitchell, who is overseeing the project from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The team, the flight system, and all ground assets are ready for Mars orbit insertion."

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