NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is silent at Mars, and it seems to be spinning too. This isn't good news for one of NASA's Mars orbiters. MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, has been silent since December 4th, despite repeated attempts to contact it. A fragment of tracking data recovered on December 6th added to the bad news. MAVEN launched in November 2013 and arrived in Mars orbit 10 months later, tasked with studying Mars' atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. MAVEN's prime mission lasted one Earth year, and the spacecraft delivered in that time. Its data helped scientists understand how the Red Planet lost its once-thick atmosphere, which allowed liquid water to flow on Mars billions of years ago. The orbiter continued to gather information about the Red Planet, including its dust storms, winds, and auroras. MAVEN also serves as a communications link between mission control and NASA robots on the Martian surface, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. While MAVEN isn't the only orbiter that plays this relay role, it's one of the four spacecraft that are still going strong. NASA is arranging additional passes from the remaining orbiters for the next two weeks of scheduled surface operations. The Perseverance and Curiosity teams have adjusted their daily planning activities to continue their science missions.
