The mission will spend 20 months collecting data on the planet's core, its magnetic field, and the composition of its atmosphere.
planetary atmospheres
Posted inScience Updates
Comparing Planetary Climates to Investigate Climate Systems
Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II (CCTP2 ): Understanding How Climate Systems Work; Moffett Field, California, 8–11 September 2015
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Hubble Gazes at Europa's Aurora
Scientists get their best glimpse yet of the shimmering phenomena on one of Jupiter's most intriguing moons.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Demystifying Mercury "Hollows"
Spectral data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft indicate that the properties of the depressions on Mercury's surface can vary within a single crater and that these differences may correlate to age.
Posted inNews
What Caused the Sudden Heating of Uranus's Atmosphere?
A recently observed temperature reversal on Uranus may offer a clue to a long-standing mystery: Why are the upper atmospheres of gas giants so hot?
Posted inNews
Atmospheres Can Collapse on the Dark Sides of Planets
Planets that orbit close to their stars might lose their atmospheres along with any chance of life, but new models show a way in which these planets may retain their atmospheres and habitability.
Posted inAGU News
Andrew F. Nagy Receives 2015 John Adam Fleming Medal
Andrew F. Nagy was awarded the 2015 John Adam Fleming Medal at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for "original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, space physics, and related sciences."
Posted inEditors' Vox
First Results from the MAVEN Mission to Mars
Geophysical Research Letters publishes First Results from the MAVEN Mission to Mars, demonstrating a remarkable achievement of NASA's MAVEN team and the broader scientific community.
Posted inNews
Pluto Image Shows First Picture of Its Atmosphere
Scientists are amazed by new images that show Pluto's atmosphere and diverse geology.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Watch Solar Winds Blast Mercury's Magnetic Field
A NASA team used the MESSENGER spacecraft to analyze Mercury's magnetosphere during intense solar wind pressure.