NASA's MAVEN Magnetometer to Measure Martian Magnetic Field

Posted on March 27, 2013

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) magnetometer will measure the magnetic field on Mars. Unlike the Earth, Mars does not have global magnetosphere. It has only patches of magnetic field left in its crust.

The MAVEN mission is expected to help scientists better understand the Mars atmosphere and how it interacts with solar wind. This could help explain why Mars transformed from a planet with abundant water to a frozen desert. The MAVEN mission is set for a late 2013 launch. It will go into orbit around Mars in September 2014. Take a look:

The MAVEN spacecraft is undergoing acoustics testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems' Reverberant Acoustic Laboratory in the above photograph.

SPACE
MARS
NASA