Just as NASA’s Mars orbiters took shelter from a debris-spewing comet behind the Red Planet on Sunday, they also took the opportunity to study the flyby’s effect on Mars.

Scientists also are hoping to use the orbiters’ observations to gain new clues about the origin of our solar system.

“We’re glad the spacecraft came through,” said Bruce Jakosky, NASA’s principal investigator for its Maven spacecraft. “We’re excited to complete our observations of how the comet effects Mars, and we’re eager to get to our primary science phase.”

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