NASA’s Maven explorer arrives at Mars Sunday Sep 21,2014

 

NASA's Maven spacecraft arrived at Mars late Sunday Sep 21,2014 after a 442 million-mile journey that began nearly a year ago.

The spacecraft was clocking more than 10,000 mph when it hit the brakes for the so-called orbital insertion, a half-hour process. The world had to wait 12 minutes to learn the outcome, once it occurred, because of the lag in spacecraft signals given the 138 million miles between the two planets on Sunday.

 

The robotic explorer fired its brakes and successfully slipped into orbit around the red planet, officials confirmed.

'This is such an incredible night,' said John Grunsfeld, NASA's chief for science missions.

Maven joins three spacecraft already circling Mars, two American and one European. And the traffic jam isn't over: India's first interplanetary probe, Mangalyaan, will reach Mars in two days and also aim for orbit.

NASA launched Maven in November 2013 from Cape Canaveral, the 10th US mission sent to orbit the red planet.

 

 Three earlier ones failed, and until the official word came of success late Sunday night, the entire team was on edge

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'I don't have any fingernails any more, but we've made it,' said Colleen Hartman, deputy director for science at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 'It's incredible.'

This is NASA's 21st shot at Mars and the first since the Curiosity rover landed on the red planet in 2012.