Who would find that a vakantieritje to France for a journey across the world, is sometimes behind the ears scratch. The Mars Odyssey has Tuesday its 60,000 th orbit around the red planet have been created – without the need to stop for a toilet break or a sandwich at a petrol station.
NASA launched the spacecraft in april 2001. The probe, named after the sciencefictionboek 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, came in October that year at Mars. He could not immediately about action. First it was the Odyssey to be slowed down in the atmosphere of the planet, what ‘aerobraking’ is called.
The Odyssey is an oldie. The 376 pounds of weight colossus hovers for the longest time around the red planet, of all the probes. Since its launch, explained the Themis camera of Odyssey Mars with 208.240 photos in visible wavelengths and 188.760 in infrared light. “And he goes,” says NASA.
Thanks to the spacecraft discovered NASA that there are large amounts of water ice in the antarctic are present. All the while, scientists thought that the fixed carbon dioxide, or dry ice, went. Due to the unexpected operation of the machine extended NASA mission to two times.
Today, the ‘elderly’ probe to its sporty brother, the fanatical Mars-trolley Curiosity, they understand. Curiosity rover is driving through a valley on its way to Mount Sharp, something that a probe is only starting. Anyway: a ‘toilet break’ is for the Odyssey for the time being not in.
