MAVEN cleared its last mission review today as NASA and contractor managers gave a “go” today at the Launch Readiness Review to proceed to launch Monday at 1:28 p.m. EST, the beginning of a 2-hour launch window for the Mars-bound spacecraft. The weather forecast for Monday remains at a 60 percent change of acceptable conditions …
Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument (SODI) Experiment Preparation: Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Hopkins reviewed SODI setup procedures, activated the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) facility and set up the SODI core hardware and experiment-specific hardware in the MSG Work Volume. These activities allow performance of an optical checkout prior to the installation of the SODI Diffusion Coefficient in …
Controllers turned on the MAVEN spacecraft today as the spacecraft and the Atlas V rocket that will send it to Mars continue on track for launch Monday at 1:28 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The NASA and United Launch Alliance launch teams performed a successful …
Former Star Trek actor LeVar Burton shares MAVEN’s story. Burton has been a lifelong advocate of education through his many STEM initiatives and participation in educational programming. He is also known worldwide as Geordi LeForge, chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” as Kunta Kinte in the breakthrough mini-series “Roots” …
Interviews with MAVEN’s scientific and launch teams detail the goals for the Mars-bound spacecraft and the years of work that went into building the spacecraft and then getting ready to launch it.
MAVEN’s launch day forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions at the opening of the launch window Monday at 1:28 p.m. EST. Concerns are centered on a cold front that is expected to near Florida on Monday and possibly disrupt the weather around Cape Canaveral with thick clouds and possible showers. In …
US Segment Crew Handover: Hopkins continued a handover with newly arrived crewmembers Flight Engineer (FE)-5 Mastracchio and FE-6 Wakata. Topics included recommendations for on-orbit practices, lessons learned, and familiarization of ISS Systems and Payloads within each USOS module. Ocular Health (OH): As part of his Flight Day 10 session, Wakata completed his vision test and …
On Sunday evening, a bright fireball was reported by visual observers in Tennessee. Occurring about 7:22 PM Central, the meteor was detected by 4 of our All Sky cameras – those in Huntsville; Chickamauga, GA; Cartersville, GA; and Dahlonega, GA. The fireball was picked up at an altitude of 55 miles moving east of south at …
This is a concept video by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland of how the Martian atmosphere and landscape may have changed in the past 4 billion years. MAVEN’s mission is to find out whether the theories of change are correct. MAVEN will orbit Mars with a suite of instruments that will scan the …
