After six months of silence, NASA declared its Maven spacecraft deadwhich he had sent to Mars to study the atmosphere of the red planet.
The space agency confirmed this Wednesday that the mission had ended after more than a decade of observations.
“The team really experienced the loss of a loved one with the end of the mission here,” stated NASA project manager Mike Moreau.
Launched in 2013 to study the red planet’s atmosphere from orbit, Maven mysteriously stopped transmitting in early December after passing behind Mars. The data indicates that the ship entered a rapid spin, which altered its orbit and depleted its batteries.
It will end up crashing into the red planet
A review board convened by NASA earlier this year concluded that the spacecraft is useless and cannot be recovered. It will probably remain in orbit for another 50 to 100 years before crashing into the planetwithout representing any problem for other spacecraft. An investigation into what caused the problem continues.
In addition to studying the Martian climate and observing a wandering interstellar comet last year, Maven helped relay information from the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface. NASA officials noted that four other spacecraft around Mars (two American and two European satellites) will take on the load, without losing the explorers’ data.
«The team is certainly gutted about this, but at the same time we’re incredibly proud of the science we’ve accomplished over the last decade,» said Maven lead scientist Shannon Curry of the University of Colorado Boulder.
The spacecraft advanced scientists’ understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, Curry said.
AP Agency.
GML
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