NASA Prepares to Launch First Mission to Explore Martian Atmosphere

Oct. 21, 2013 -- Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians perform a spin test of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft. The operation is designed to verify that MAVEN is properly balanced as it spins during the initial mission activities. (NASA)

A NASA spacecraft that will examine the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail is undergoing final preparations for a scheduled 1:28 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) will examine specific processes on Mars that led to the loss of much of its atmosphere. Data and analysis could tell planetary scientists the history of climate change on the Red Planet and provide further information on the history of planetary habitability.

"The MAVEN mission is a significant step toward unraveling the planetary puzzle about Mars' past and present environments," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The knowledge we gain will build on past and current missions examining Mars and will help inform future missions to send humans to Mars."

The 5,410-pound spacecraft will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket on a 10-month journey to Mars. After arriving at Mars in September 2014, MAVEN will settle into its elliptical science orbit.

Over the course of its one-Earth-year primary mission, MAVEN will observe all of Mars' latitudes. Altitudes will range from 93 miles to more than 3,800 miles. During the primary mission, MAVEN will execute five deep dip maneuvers, descending to an altitude of 78 miles. This marks the lower boundary of the planet's upper atmosphere.

"Launch is an important event, but it's only a step along the way to getting the science measurements," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator at the University of Colorado, Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) in Boulder. "We're excited about the science we'll be doing, and are anxious now to get to Mars."

The MAVEN spacecraft will carry three instrument suites. The Particles and Fields Package, provided by the University of California at Berkeley with support from CU/LASP and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., contains six instruments to characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of Mars. The Remote Sensing Package, built by CU/LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, built by Goddard, will measure the composition of Mars’ upper atmosphere.

"When we proposed and were selected to develop MAVEN back in 2008, we set our sights on Nov. 18, 2013, as our first launch opportunity," said Dave Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at Goddard. "Now we are poised to launch on that very day. That's quite an accomplishment by the team."
MAVEN's principal investigator is based at CU/LASP. The university provided science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission.

Goddard manages the project and provided two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory provided science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, Deep Space Network support, and Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.

For more information about the MAVEN mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/maven

and

http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/

-end-

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2014 Cadillac CTS First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now By now, you've probably seen our first test of the smoking twin-turbo CTS Vsport and you know it's got what it takes to run with the Germans should you encounter them on the street or track. If you're not the sort of person who enters into races, impromptu or planned, you might wonder how the rest of the line -- including the CTS -- manages. Keep reading to find out. The short answer: very well. I was given the opportunity to drive the complete new CTS range in the rolling hills and valleys around Santa Barbara, California, and I can confidently say that the rest of the CTS line is as competitive as the Vsport. Given my experiences with the smaller ATS, I wasn't too concerned about the mid-range 3.6-liter V-6 model, but I was apprehensive about the 2.0-liter turbocharged base model. In the ATS, it needed a little work, and the whole turbo-four-in-a-big-car thing didn't make for an especially engaging BMW 5 Series. Did Cadillac get the formula right? Yes it has. I'd be perfectly happy driving the base CTS around with its little turbo four-cylinder humming away under the hood all day long. Torque is ample at throttle tip-in and increases through the mid-range. Past 5000 rpm the horsepower hits its peak right as the torque falls off and really pulls the car to redline. It's no screaming street racer, but it'll never leave you wanting on a freeway on-ramp or when trying to make a pass. View the original article here

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Do you even care? Honestly, if I told you the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C drives like a 1983 Dodge Diplomat on bald tires, would it really make a difference? After all, Alfa told us that the 4C has “more to do with the heart than with the brain.” I believe they mean that girls this gorgeous can be Miss Teen South Carolina dumb, because just look at her! I have teeth marks on my fist after a full day spent gawking at the car marking Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. after the brand packed up the espresso machines back in 1995. The 4C’s so hot that if the Fiat Group had decided to slap “Dino 246” on the rump next to a yellow shield filled with a prancing horse, car enthusiasts the world over would still be nodding their collective heads yes. She’s a total dreamboat, my friends, and I even dig the headlights. As for the rest of the car, keep reading. View the original article here

2014 Volkwagen Jetta 1.8T First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Volkswagen has taken plenty of ribbing in recent years for its 2.5-liter I-5 engine, offered as a lower-cost alternative to the more favorable 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 in the SE and SEL trims of the Jetta (as well as Golf and Passat models). With a reputation for being somewhat rougher than more modern I-4s and lacking low-end torque, the 170-hp, 177 lb-ft five-cylinder black sheep just hasn't gotten much love since its U.S. introduction in 2005. Why couldn't the cut-rate engine behave a little more like the 2.0T? Well, now it does. For 2014, among other improvements to the Jetta range, Volkswagen has ousted the 2.5-liter mill in favor of a 1.8-liter turbocharged I-4, based on the new third-generation 2.0 TSI engine, code-named EA888. Essentially the same engine, just downsized, the new 1.8T gets all the benefits that the larger 2.0T does, including the trick integrated exhaust manifold which, in addition to being more efficient, also aids in engine warm-up and weight savings. While skeptics may note that the new engine makes the same horsepower as the old I-5 and torque is only up 7 lb-ft, the full 184 lb-ft comes in at a measly 1500 rpm, improving drivability greatly. View the original article here

2014 BMW M3/M4 First Ride

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now BMW has finally pulled back the curtain a bit farther on the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, revealing a tantalizing amount of technical detail during a "second look/first ride" event held near the vehicle's birthplace outside Munich. We'll spare the suspense and let you know that corralled within the aluminum hood and front fenders lies an all-new, 3027cc twin-turbo inline-six that BMW promises will provide the instantaneous throttle response, linear power delivery, and stirring engine note of a high-revving naturally aspirated engine, and the stout, broad-as-Ayers-Rock torque curve of a turbo. And yes, it's an all-new engine, with an 89.6mm bore and 80.0mm stroke (the 335i measures 84.0 x 89.6, for 2979cc) that we're told will produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 430 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. That's 25 percent more torque with a claimed 25 percent less fuel consumption (see our Engine Deep Dive below for more). A choice of six-speed manual (with automatic rev-matching in Sport, but not Sport Plus mode) or seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (using the M5/M6's taller gearing) will route all that furious twist to the rear wheels. View the original article here

2014 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Exclusive First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now First Test: By Scott Evans | Photos By Mark Bramley | September 23, 2013  |   It's not easy being the new kid, especially at the high-performance prep school. With a few notable exceptions, Ferrari doesn't really make bad cars. Many are among the best performers of their generation, and here comes the 2014 F12 Berlinetta, ready to pick up that torch from the Enzo with claims it'll be even quicker than the iconic, all-out supercar that once held several records in our testing books. The new kid thinks he's tough. It will come as no surprise to the auto-literate that the F12 is a very quick car. Let's get right down to it: The Ferrari F12 hits 60 mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at a screaming 131.7 mph. It stops from 60 mph in just 106 feet and pulls an estimated 0.99 g on the skid pad. In the ranks of supercars, those are pretty good numbers, but they also provoke questions. A 3.6-second 60-mph time isn't all that great for a 731-hp car with 509 lb-ft of torque. There are several other rear-drive sports cars that will do that with significantly less power. Certain Corvettes, Porsches, McLarens, and even the odd Mustang come to mind. The stopping distance also falls into the realm of very good but not great. An 11.3-second quarter-mile run is even a few tenths slow for the power. The odd figure out is the incredibly high quarter-mile trap speed, which I'll get to in a second. View the original article here

2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI joins a diesel fleet that, according to the automaker, represents 75 percent of all diesel-powered vehicles sold in the United States. Although the broader numbers show that diesel-powered passenger vehicles have never enjoyed the sweeping success here that they’ve had in Europe, some brands continue to plod ahead with oil-burning engines and reap relatively strong sales. Volkswagen is one of these brands, having sold more than 1 million diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. since the first Rabbit diesel was sold here in 1977. VW’s current 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine, found under the hood of the 2013 Jetta, has enjoyed years of relative success, with Volkswagen often claiming that sales are limited mostly by production capacity. Waitlists at dealers and high TDI resale values seem to back that up. The engine produces 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel our Reflex Silver Metallic example from 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds flat, then on to the quarter-mile in 16.2 seconds, with a trap speed of 86.3 mph. Those figures might not sound too impressive, but keep in mind that: View the original article here

2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG S Model First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now The moment I crested 200 kilometers per hour, I realized how ridiculous the new S63 AMG is. (That's about 125 of our superior miles per hour.) I was on a rain-slicked section of unrestricted autobahn near Munich, though for all the car cared I may as well have been parked at the beach. Minutes earlier I'd set my seat massage to program number 2 (I believe that one's called either Hot and Dirty, or Quick and Shameful). While the hot stone massage is a very welcome luxury, I am totally averse to heat in all forms. So I turned on my seat AC to cancel out the sizzling stones. Yes, you can run hot and cold at the same time -- like a mixed water tap. The S63's cabin perfumer was emitting some sort of citrus scent, and just for giggles I'd activated the cabin air ionizer. Next on my agenda was selecting the perfect ambient interior lighting. The blue was too "Fast and Furious" for Bavaria, while the pink was too Virgin America for me. Tangerine -- why yes of course, tangerine. Not only do I like that color, but it matched the cabin perfume. But here's the real reason why the S63 turned ridiculous: Above 200 km/h the DTR+ Steering stops working. DTR+ Steering is Mercedes-ese for the semiautonomous driving mode that uses built-in stereo cameras to keep the big limousine centered between the lines. Suddenly, as the cruise control took us beyond the metric double-ton, I had to start paying attention to the actual act of driving. Ridiculous, right? 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG S Model Front-engine, AWD, 4-door, 4-5-pass sedan 5.5L/577-hp/664-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC V-8

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2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD, 2015 GMC Sierra HD First Look

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Home  >  Road Tests  >  Trucks  >  First Look  >  2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD, 2015 GMC Sierra HD First Look Although the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups were nearly indistinguishable from the 2010 models, significant improvements included a fully boxed frame with an updated Duramax diesel engine and Allison transmission. Visual updates are finally part of the package for the revised 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD trucks, which also receive upgrades under the sheetmetal as well. While 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD models use essentially the same cab and beds as the 1500 models, the front ends feature larger grilles with chrome trim and cooling intakes, a new hood and headlights, and chrome bumpers. Other changes increase reduced interior noise and increased efficiency. Improved cooling ability comes from a new sealed front end that uses cooling air more efficiently as well as the engine air intake located outside of the hot engine compartment to better maintain power levels while hauling and towing in hot weather. View the original article here

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Wraith. The name conjures images of something moving swiftly along damp and misty Mayfair roads at four in the morning; a half-seen apparition momentarily visible in the yellow glare of the streetlights before disappearing into the darkness with a hiss of rubber on wet tarmac. It's the perfect name for the sportiest Rolls-Royce in history. In simple terms, the Wraith is the coupe version of the Ghost, the so-called "small" Rolls-Royce built using some basic architectural hardware shared with the F01/F02 BMW 7 Series. Compared with the standard-wheelbase Ghost, the wheelbase is 7.2 inches shorter, and overall length has been trimmed 4.2 inches. The dash-to-axle ratio is the same as the Ghost sedan, but the front overhang is longer. Overall height is 1.7 inches lower.

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2014 Ram ProMaster First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Back in September 2009, after Mercedes-Benz cut ties with Chrysler, Mercedes announced it would no longer license its Sprinter commercial van to its ex-partner, which had sold them under Dodge's Ram division. Several things happened between then and now. Chrysler entered bankruptcy and emerged under Fiat control; Ram was split off into its own brand, separate from Dodge; and the commercial van competition heated up with the launch of the new Nissan NV and an all-new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. From this whirlwind, Chrysler has launched the vehicle that will return it to the commercial van game: the Ram ProMaster. Essentially a re-badged Fiat Ducato, Americanized for your convenience, the ProMaster reaps all the benefits of a commercial van that has matured and evolved over three generations. (Fiat claims more than 4.5 million Ducatos have been sold since the model's inception in 1981.) Though the styling might strike some as similar to the Sprinter's, the vehicle distinguishes itself from the competition in one big way: its front-wheel-drive architecture. View the original article here

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Diesel engines are a stalwart of the heavy-duty pickup truck segment. But the light-duty segment? Not so much. In fact, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the only diesel light-duty truck sold in the United States. Responding to what Ram chief engineer Mike Cairnes describes as big demand, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel uses the same 3.0-liter, turbocharged V-6 diesel engine and eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission found as optional equipment in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The engine was designed by the Italian firm VM Motori and produces the same power in the Ram as it does the Jeep: 240 hp at 3600 rpm and 420 lb-ft at just 2000 rpm. Ram is quick to remind us that's more torque than the original heavy-duty Cummins diesel Ram produced in the late 1980s. Compared to the standard Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine, the EcoDiesel is down 65 hp but up 151 lb-ft, and while even further down on horsepower to the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, the EcoDiesel even beats that brutish engine's torque rating by 10 lb-ft. Furthermore, the Pentastar and Hemi both require roughly 4000 rpm to hit their torque peak -- more than double the engine speed needed in the EcoDiesel. View the original article here

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now At some point while whipping silently around a corner -- with the exception of two screeching front tires fighting 400 lb-ft of torque -- I came to a startling conclusion: Chevy's SS brand is alive and well. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT is not just one of the best electric vehicles not named Tesla, but one of the best hatchbacks Chevrolet has built in years. I suspect drivers with a daily commute that takes them through congested Californian and Oregonian cities will start thinking of the Chevy Spark EV as the Chevy Spark SS. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised at how fun the 2014 Spark EV is. The manual-equipped gas-swilling Spark is one of the most fun vehicles in its class, driving like a motorized barstool, with a peppy 84-hp, 1.2-liter I-4, a willing chassis with a ridiculously small wheelbase. The Spark EV takes the base Spark, dumps the little four-banger, and replaces it with a permanent-magnet AC motor making 140 hp and a simply astonishing 400 lb-ft of torque. That's more torque than a Ford Mustang GT, Porsche 911 Carrera S, and even a Ferrari 458 Italia! Chevy rounds out the Spark EV's package with some 21 kW-hr lithium ion batteries in the trunk, staggered wheels, and an instrument panel from the Volt. Front-motor, FWD, 4-pass, 4-door hatchback 140-hp/400-lb-ft permanent-magnet AC electric

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2013 Honda Civic Hybrid First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now "Average Fuel: 41.2 mpg," the dash display of the 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid indicated. What?! Really?! It'd been too effortless to achieve. If I had really tried to eke out every possible mile from each ounce of unleaded, boy, what a number that would have been. And so began the latest round of "Nate's Great MPG Challenge," a fuel economy maximization game first programmed into my psyche by our long gone, but never forgotten, long-term 2009 BMW 335d, a beautiful premium sedan that successfully ticked just about every box on my personal Fuel Efficient Car checklist. I also played a few rounds while behind the wheel of our 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which racked up 450-plus miles on a single tank. While those were oil burners, similar types of competitive Eat-My-MPG behavior are expected from drivers of electro-fossil fuel cars such as our Civic. In fact, Honda, like many other automakers, promotes competition with items such as an ECO Assist coach and a little green ECON button, that, when pressed, reduces energy consumed by the car's climate control system. It also minimizes throttle response and extends the start-stop operating window when possible. View the original article here

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now It's the midrange. That eye-opening, grip-tightening, "My God"-inducing midrange. Pick an rpm level and open the throttle. Doesn't matter where, the expletives will come — quickly. The last 911 Turbo S we tested barely eked its way into the 10-second quarter-mile club. This one, with its 560 horsepower? Comfortably there, we estimate. "Comfortably" is the operative word. The Turbo is Porsche's all-season, all-road, all-anything sports car, one that unflinchingly putts to work, drifts on the track, eats up bracket races, and dashes through the snow. You could do all of it in a weekend. This bizarre mix of sheer capability and performance takes a while to wrap your head around, and I spent a day doing said wrapping in a Turbo S at a new racetrack in northern Germany called Bilster Berg. The track is notable for its constant elevation changes, blind crests, and a barrage of dips that make it seem determined to upset your car -- there's even a big dip just before the braking point on the back straight, the fastest part of the track. The Turbo S feels unflappable here, the direct result of numerous and clever hardware solutions. The water-cooled, elecro-hydraulic Haldex all-wheel drive system can supply more torque to the front axle. A rear steering system turns the back wheels opposite the fronts below 31 mph and with the fronts above 50 mph, and this virtual shortening and lengthening of the wheelbase helps reduce the turning circle to 34.8 feet (1.6 feet shorter than Carrera 4) while improving high-speed stability. It's also good for 2 seconds at the Nürburgring, according to Porsche. The rear wing deploys at speed and is matched with a rubber air dam that folds out via an air-filled bladder behind it (another 2 seconds at the Nürburgring). Fully extended, the clever air dam sits lower than the GT3's nose, but, at low speeds, it's flush against the bottom of the bumper, so drivers don't have to worry about scraping against driveways. The resulting downforce is 291 pounds at 186 mph, and the 197.6 mph top speed (achieved in sixth gear) is electronically limited because of the tires. In the Turbo S, this comes on top of a suite of standard Porsche goodies: active anti-roll bars, ceramic brakes (16.1 in front and 15.4 in rear), an electric locking rear-differential, and a seemingly telepathic, seven-speed, twin-clutch transmission. View the original article here