MAVEN spacecraft performs final system checks in preparation for its arrival at Mars

(Artist’s concept of MAVEN in orbit – Photo Credit: NASA/GSFC)

On September 21st, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft will complete roughly 10 months of travel and enter orbit around the Red Planet. Its arrival at Mars will signal the beginning of the mission’s science phase, which will investigate and analyse Mars like no other craft, therefore MAVEN is performing final, thorough, system checks to ensure it is ready.

NASA performs 3-D study of comets and their comas

(Comet ISON – Photo Credit: TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO)

A NASA-led team of scientists have created detailed 3-D maps of the atmospheres surrounding the ISON and Lemmon comets. This allowed them to identify several of the gases in their comas, revealing the presence of formaldehyde and HNC (hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon).