NASA’s Mars mission in danger
NASA has been planning a mission to Mars, set to take off next month. However, because of the government shutdown, the mission could be at risk. “We are just inside of seven weeks to launch and we are shut down,” said Bruce Jakosky, the head of the mission.
The mission is called Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), and the goal is to put a spacecraft in orbit around Mars. NASA hopes to learn more about the planet’s development and how parts of its atmosphere vanished.
Right now, MAVEN was set to launch on November 18th, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If the mission is canceled, it will be another two years before the team can try again, said Jakosky. He also mentioned that a launch rehearsal and readiness review were already cancelled. “Every day is gold. We hate to give up margin days,” he said about the team’s schedule.
Jokosky elaborated on why this is such a crucial time for the mission to be performed: “The MAVEN mission is studying the sun’s impact on the Mars upper atmosphere,” he said. “Launching in this window places them at a solar maximum, for the greatest impacts of the sun’s effect on Mars’ upper atmosphere. The next window, if they are forced to launch, would put the spacecraft’s arrival at solar minimum.”
