Nasa aims for Mars, robotic Maven set to soar

The Maven mission will cost $671 million over its entire lifetime. That includes the price of the unmanned Atlas V rocket used to launch the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.



When its solar wings are extended, Maven stretches 37.5 feet (11.4 meters) — about the length of a school bus.

It weighs 5,410 pounds (2,454 kilograms), the same weight as an SUV. Eight scientific instruments are on board, as well as communications relay equipment for use with Mars landers. Maven stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, with a capital "N" at the end of EvolutioN.

The idea for Maven dates back 10 years. Scientists hope to keep it going well beyond its advertised working lifetime of one Earth year. The project is led for Nasa by the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder.

Maven is Nasa's 21st mission to Mars. Fourteen of the first 20 succeeded. The 1964 Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to fly by the red planet. Curiosity was America's most recent Mars visitor, launching in 2011 and landing in 2012.