Mars Probe Declared Dead by NASA

by · Peta Pixel
Artist’s concept of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft at Mars. The spacecraft entered orbit around the planet in 2014 and has completed over 11 years of observing the Martian upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind to explore the loss of the Red Planet’s atmosphere to space.

NASA has announced the death of one of its Mars imaging probes, MAVEN, after losing contact with the spacecraft at the end of last year.

Despite repeated attempts to reestablish communication with MAVEN, it has failed to respond. After conducting a review, NASA determined the probe is not recoverable and is no longer capable of performing its science and data relay mission.

According to Science Alert, data indicates that after passing behind Mars in December, MAVEN went into a fast spin, which drained the onboard batteries and altered its orbit.

MAVEN is expected to remain in the Red Planet’s orbit for another 50 to 100 years before ultimately crashing into the Martian surface.

The spacecraft’s principal investigator, Shannon Curry, says the MAVEN team “really experienced the loss of a loved one with the end of the mission here,” calling the probe the “Best. Mars. Mission. Ever.” during a press conference yesterday (Monday).

Curry pointed to MAVEN’s accomplishments, calling it “the best observer of atmospheric escape anywhere in the solar system.”

“The MAVEN mission has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution. This dataset has had a tremendous impact on the field,” says Curry. “Our science team is exceptionally proud of all of these amazing discoveries.”

“The science MAVEN has given us is key to informing what kind of radiation protection and safety measures we must take before sending humans to Mars,” adds Louise Prockter, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The data collected from MAVEN will continue to provide valuable insight into Mars for decades to come.”

MAVEN captured some ultraviolet images of the Red Planet taken at two different points along its orbit around the Sun.

Launched in 2013 and in orbit since 2014, MAVEN was originally designed for a two-year mission to study Mars’ upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. The spacecraft exceeded its primary objectives and continued operating for more than a decade, providing data on how Mars lost much of its atmosphere over billions of years. It has also served as a communications relay for surface missions for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

Image credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Colorado/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics