Mars in the Ultraviolet: Highlights from (nearly) Six Years of Observations by the MAVEN Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph
Résumé
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observes Mars in the far and mid ultraviolet (110-340 nm), investigating lower and upper atmospheric structure and indirectly probing neutral atmospheric escape. The instrument is among the most powerful spectrographs sent to another planet, with several key capabilities: separate Far-UV & Mid-UV channels for stray light control; a high-resolution echelle mode to resolve deuterium and hydrogen emissions; internal instrument pointing and scanning capabilities to allow complete mapping and nearly continuous operation; and optimization for airglow studies. After nearly six Earth years in orbit (over three Mars years), IUVS has assembled a large quantity of data and provided insights on present-day processes at Mars including dayglow, nightglow, aurora, meteor showers, clouds, and solar-planetary interactions. In this presentation, we will highlight key results obtained by IUVS and a discussion of their implications for understanding Martian atmospheric dynamics and evolution.