Planetary Radio Live Celebrates the Launch of MAVEN

MAVEN set out for Mars on November 18.  Planetary Radio Live joined the celebration from Pasadena, California with Bruce Betts, Emily Lakdawalla, host Mat Kaplan and a roomful of space enthusiasts. Jim Bell and Bill Nye joined in via live hookup from the Kennedy Space Center.  A link to the complete webcast is available below.  Also, Casey Dreier reports discouraging news about the future of deep space missions that can’t rely on solar cells for power.

Related Links

• Planetary Radio Live MAVEN Webcast
• Emily Lakdawalla: MAVEN Launches to Mars
• LASP MAVEN Website
• Casey Dreier: NASA Cancels Advanced Spacecraft Power Program

Trivia Contest

This week's prize is a MAVEN mission patch AND the new and stylish Planetary Radio t-shirt!

This week's question:
MOM is India's Mars Orbiter Mission. Amuse us: If we launched a mission with the acronym "DAD" what would it stand for?

To submit your answer:
Complete the contest entry form at http:planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Monday, November 25, at 2pm Pacific Time.  Be sure to include your name, mailing address and shirt size.

Last week's question:
What observational technique was used to discover the rotation periods of Venus and Mercury?

Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:
What are the craters on the asteroid Gaspra named after?

Answer:
Like the asteroid itself, they are named after resort towns.