NASA Unveils Spectacular New View of The Mars Horizon

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NASA’s Odyssey orbiter has captured a new image of Mars’ horizon. The image shows the planet’s cratered surface and atmosphere. The orbiter has been at Mars for 23 years

The image was taken from a height of about 400. It’s made up of 10 images that have been stitched together. The image will help scientists learn more about the Martian atmosphere. 

The Odyssey orbiter also captured images of Mars’ skies, including its two moons.

As of January 2023, there are three rovers currently operating on Mars: Curiosity, Perseverance, Zhurong. 

The Perseverance rover is also accompanied by the Ingenuity helicopter, which scouts sites for Perseverance to study. 

As of 2022, there have been 21 lander missions and 8 sub-landers that have attempted to land on Mars. Of these, the following are currently in operation: Curiosity, Perseverance, Tianwen-1. 

NASA has operated all eight successful missions to the Martian surface

The first NASA spacecraft to reach Mars was Mariner 4. It launched on November 28, 1964 and took 22 pictures of the Martian surface from a distance of over 9677 km (6000 miles). The data was sent back to JPL and reconstructed into visual images.  

The first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars was Viking 1. It was part of a two-part mission to investigate the planet and search for signs of life. Viking 1 consisted of both an orbiter and a lander. 

Other probes that have been on Mars include: 

  • Mars Climate Orbiter: Lost on arrival at Mars in 1999 
  • Mars Polar Lander: Crashed just before landing in 1999 
  • Mars Global Surveyor: Arrived at Mars in 1997 and continued to operate until 2006 
  • Mars Science Laboratory: Launched in 2011 with the rover Curiosity 
  • Mars Orbiter Mission: Launched in 2013 by India

The Odyssey orbiter is a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 2001. It’s the longest-operating space mission at another planet. The Odyssey orbiter’s original goals were to: 

  • Search for water 
  • Make detailed maps of the planet’s surface materials 
  • Determine radiation levels for humans 

The Odyssey orbiter has made over 94,000 orbits of Mars. Some of its discoveries include: 

  • Water ice under the planet’s surface 
  • A unique panoramic view of Mars 

The Odyssey orbiter is equipped with three scientific instruments: 

  • Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS): An onboard camera that provides visible and infrared imaging to characterize how minerals are distributed on the surface of Mars 

The Odyssey orbiter also serves as a communications relay for rovers and landers on Mars. These include: 

  • The Mars Exploration Rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity” 
  • The Mars Phoenix lander 
  • The Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover 

The Odyssey orbiter was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 7, 2001. It’s named after the 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Yes, the Mars Odyssey is still in orbit around Mars. Its mission is scheduled to last until 2025. 

The Mars Odyssey is part of NASA’s Mars exploration program, which also includes: 

  • The Curiosity rover 
  • The Opportunity rover 
  • The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) 
  • MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission) 

The Mars Odyssey is the longest-operating spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth. It holds the record for 22 years, 1 month, and 5 days.

The Mars Odyssey’s main purpose is to investigate the Martian environment. It’s part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, which aims to understand whether Mars has or has had life. The Odyssey’s goals include: 

  • Mapping the planet’s surface 
  • Finding evidence of water and volcanic activity 
  • Determining radiation levels for future human explorers 

The Odyssey’s primary science mission ran from February 2002 to August 2004. It’s currently in extended operations.

The Mars Odyssey has performed many jobs, including: 

  • Mapping the Martian surface 
  • Mapping the distribution of minerals and chemical elements 
  • Mapping the distribution of buried ice 
  • Mapping the radiation environment 
  • Finding landing sites 
  • Studying the planet’s moons 

The Odyssey’s data has helped scientists understand the planet’s history and determine the risks to future human explorers.

The Mars Odyssey is currently orbiting Mars. It’s studying the planet’s surface to see how it changes over time. 

The Odyssey’s initial orbit was highly elliptical, with a diameter of about 170 × 16,665 miles. It took the spacecraft 18.6 hours to complete one orbit.(full article source google)

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