NASA’s Mars Odyssey Orbiter is one in all seven at the moment circling the pink planet (three of them belonging to NASA), capturing imagery and performing duties from manner as much as assist scientists be taught extra in regards to the fourth planet from the solar.
On Sunday, the Mars Odyssey Orbiter accomplished 100,000 orbits since arriving on the distant rock 23 years in the past.
“Throughout that point, the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter has been mapping minerals and ice throughout the Martian floor, figuring out touchdown websites for future missions, and relaying knowledge to Earth from NASA’s rovers and landers,” NASA stated in a put up on its web site marking the milestone. These rovers and landers embody the still-operating Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, and NASA’s InSight lander, which communicated with the orbiter for the ultimate time on the finish of December 2022 after 4 years of service.
The Odyssey Orbiter additionally lately captured a brand new view of Mars’ Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano within the photo voltaic system. “In addition to offering an unprecedented view of the volcano, the picture helps scientists examine totally different layers of fabric within the ambiance, together with clouds and mud,” NASA stated.
The orbiter even managed to {photograph} NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which turned the primary plane to attain powered and managed flight on one other planet in 2021 earlier than ending operations earlier this yr.
During the last couple of many years, the Mars Odyssey Orbiter has captured some 1.4 million pictures and beamed again to scientists a large 17.1 terabits of knowledge.
“It takes cautious monitoring to maintain a mission going this lengthy whereas sustaining a historic timeline of scientific planning and execution — and revolutionary engineering practices,” stated Odyssey’s undertaking supervisor, Joseph Hunt, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which oversees the Odyssey mission, including: “We’re wanting ahead to amassing extra nice science within the years forward.”
