This is an artist's rendition of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) soaring above the Red Planet.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a NASA space mission to Mars. The MRO spacecraft will study the Red Planet from orbit between November 2006 and November 2008. MRO is by far the largest orbiter sent to Mars so far. It is expected to return more data about Mars than all previous Mars missions combined.
MRO was launched in August 2005. After a seven-month cruise from Earth to Mars, the spacecraft went into orbit around Mars in March 2006. MRO is currently in the midst of a six-month aerobraking phase during which its orbit will be adjusted to one that is good for observing Mars. The mission's science operations phase will begin in November 2006 and will continue until November 2008, lasting more than one full Martian year. After that, MRO will serve as a communications relay satellite for other future Mars missions.
MRO has three cameras for imaging Mars. The largest, HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), is the most powerful camera ever flown on a planetary exploration mission. Cameras on previous Mars orbiters were able to spot objects the size of a dinner table, while HiRISE will zoom in on features as small as a dinner plate.
One of MRO's other cameras will study the Red Planet's atmosphere, as will a radiometer called the Mars Climate Sounder. MRO also carries a spectrometer, which will map mineral compositions across the surface of Mars. The spacecraft also has a radar, named SHARAD, that will probe beneath the Martian surface for underground deposits of ice.
MRO continues NASA's program of mapping Mars in ever greater detail while continuing the agency's search for water on Mars. The spacecraft will also help lay the groundwork for future missions by scouting out possible landing sites for forthcoming landers, rovers, and eventually human piloted missions to Mars.
You might also be interested in:
How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable.
...moreIn the past few decades, the Russian and American space agencies have sent many spacecraft to Mars. Some have been a great success while others didn't even make it into space! In 1998, Japan also joined
...more The atmosphere of Mars is much thinner than that of Earth, with a surface pressure averaging 1/100th that at the surface of the Earth. Surface temperatures range from -113oC at the winter pole to 0oC
...moreThe surface of Mars can be broken into two main regions: highlands and lowlands. The highlands are in the southern hemisphere (the bottom of the figure), and the lowlands are in the northern hemisphere
...moreThe presence of water near the surface of Mars, or lack of water, is a big factor in determining the climate of Mars, and the suitability of Mars to support life. Finding out what has happened to the water
...moreMars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a NASA space mission to Mars. The MRO spacecraft will study the Red Planet from orbit between November 2006 and November 2008. MRO is by far the largest orbiter sent
...moreThe Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) was launched at 10:39 a.m., August 25, 1997.The ACE was launched aboard a Delta II rocket. Mission lifetime is expected to be two years for the primary mission with
...more To learn more about a specific mission from the Apollo program, the most successful and expensive space program in human history, select one of the links below: Apollo 1 Apollo 7 Apollo 8 Apollo 9 Apollo
...more