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          NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Arrives to Study Martian Atmosphere

   by VOA News

   A U.S. spacecraft has arrived at Mars to study the planet's upper
   atmosphere and help scientists answer questions about how its climate
   has changed over time.

   The craft named the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN,
   completed a 10-month, 711 million-kilometer journey late Sunday.

   It will measure the rates at which gases escape the Martian atmosphere
   into space.  NASA says that will allow scientists to calculate how much
   of the gas the planet has lost throughout its history and understand
   how a planet that possibly once was home to microbial life has turned
   into a "cold and barren desert world."

   MAVEN will take six weeks to settle into its orbit around Mars and test
   its instruments before beginning the one-year mission, which carries a
   price tag of $671 million.

   There are three other spacecraft currently orbiting Mars - two American
   and one European. Another from India is due to arrive Wednesday.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/nasa-maven-spacecraft-study-martian-a
   tmosphere/2457761.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/nasa-maven-spacecraft-study-martian-atmosphere/2457761.html