Image of the Day: 25/9/14

(Photo Credit: NASA/MAVEN/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado)

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has obtained its first observations of the extended upper atmosphere surrounding Mars.

India’s first Martian probe makes historic arrival at the Red Planet

(Artists concept of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission successfully achieving Mars orbit – Photo Credit: ISRO)

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft made history today as the car-sized probe fired its braking rockets and arrived at Mars on the nation’s first attempt to explore the Red Planet. India has now joined an elite club of only three other organisations – the Soviet Union (Soviet Space Program), the United States (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) – who have successfully launched and placed a probe into orbit around Mars.

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 instrument aboard Rosetta returns its first science results

(Artist’s concept of Rosetta orbiting 67P – Photo Credit: NASA/ESA)

A NASA instrument aboard the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft has successfully obtained its first set of science data from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Mars Odyssey spacecraft completes precautionary comet manoeuvre

(Artist’s concept of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft – Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft has successfully adjusted the timing of its orbit around Mars as a defensive precaution for comet C/2013 A1 (otherwise known as Siding Spring) which will pass by the Red Planet on October 19.