NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter captured stunning images of Mars and its moon Phobos, offering an unique perspective of the planets curved landscape and atmosphere. This unusual view of the horizon of Mars was captured by NASAs Odyssey orbiter utilizing its THEMIS camera, in an operation that took engineers three months to strategy. NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter caught the first-ever views of Mars that display the curving horizon and layers of environment, similar to what an astronaut sees of Earth from the International Space Station. While there are no astronauts yet at Mars, this view gives us a sense of what they might see. Laura Kerber, deputy job scientist for NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter, explains how and why the spacecraft caught a view of the Red Planet similar to the International Space Stations view of Earth.
NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter caught stunning pictures of Mars and its moon Phobos, providing an unique point of view of the planets curved landscape and environment. This technical accomplishment boosts our understanding of Mars and help future expeditions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter has actually provided new panoramic pictures of Mars and its moon Phobos, offering fresh insights into the Martian landscape and environment.
The Odyssey orbiter captured clouds and dust in the Red Planets skies, together with among its 2 tiny moons.
Astronauts often react with wonder when they see the curvature of the Earth below the International Space Station. Now Mars scientists are getting a taste of what thats like, thanks to NASAs 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, which completed its 22nd year at the Red Planet last month.
The spacecraft recorded a series of breathtaking images that showcased the curving Martian landscape below gauzy layers of clouds and dust. Stitched end to end, the 10 images provide not just a fresh, and stunning, view of Mars, however likewise one that will help researchers acquire new insights into the Martian atmosphere.
This uncommon view of the horizon of Mars was captured by NASAs Odyssey orbiter utilizing its THEMIS cam, in an operation that took engineers 3 months to plan. Its drawn from about 250 miles above the Martian surface– about the exact same altitude at which the International Space Station orbits Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The spacecraft took the images in May from an altitude of about 250 miles (400 kilometers)– the exact same altitude at which the spaceport station flies above Earth.
” If there were astronauts in orbit over Mars, this is the viewpoint they would have,” stated Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University, operations lead for Odysseys cam, called the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS. “No Mars spacecraft has actually ever had this type of view before.”
NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter recorded the first-ever views of Mars that display the curving horizon and layers of environment, comparable to what an astronaut sees of Earth from the International Space Station. Laura Kerber, deputy task researcher for NASAs Mars Odyssey orbiter, explains how and why the spacecraft recorded a view of the Red Planet similar to the International Space Stations view of Earth.
How It Was Done
The reason that the view is so unusual is since of the obstacles involved in producing it. Engineers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission, and Lockheed Martin Space, which built Odyssey and co-leads daily operations, spent three months planning the THEMIS observations. The infrared cams level of sensitivity to heat enables it to map ice, rock, dust, and sand, in addition to temperature level modifications, on the worlds surface.
It can likewise determine just how much water ice or dust is in the atmosphere, but just in a narrow column straight listed below the spacecraft. Thats due to the fact that THEMIS is fixed in location on the orbiter; it normally points directly down.
The objective desired a more expansive view of the atmosphere. Seeing where those layers of water-ice clouds and dust are in relation to each other– whether theres one layer or several stacked on top of each other– assists researchers improve models of Mars atmosphere.
” I believe of it as seeing a cross-section, a piece through the atmosphere,” said Jeffrey Plaut, Odysseys task scientist at JPL. “Theres a great deal of detail you cant see from above, which is how THEMIS typically makes these measurements.
NASAs 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter utilized its THEMIS electronic camera to capture this series of images of Phobos, one of the Red Planets 2 small moons. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Since THEMIS cant pivot, adjusting the angle of the video camera requires changing the position of the entire spacecraft. In this case, the group needed to rotate the orbiter nearly 90 degrees while making sure the Sun would still shine on the spacecrafts photovoltaic panels however not on delicate devices that could overheat. The simplest orientation turned out to be one where the orbiters antenna pointed away from Earth. That implied the group ran out interaction with Odyssey for several hours up until the operation was complete.
The Odyssey objective wishes to take comparable images in the future, recording the Martian environment across multiple seasons.
Over the Moon
To take advantage of their effort, the objective likewise recorded imagery of Mars little moon Phobos. This marks the seventh time in 22 years that the orbiter has actually pointed THEMIS at the moon in order to determine temperature level variations throughout its surface area.
” We got a different angle and lighting conditions of Phobos than were used to,” Hill said. “That makes it a special part of our Phobos dataset.”
The brand-new imagery supplies insight into the structure and physical properties of the moon. More study might assist settle an argument over whether Phobos, which measures about 16 miles (25 kilometers) throughout, is a caught asteroid or an ancient piece of Mars that was blasted off the surface area by an impact.
An artists idea of JAXAs MMX spacecraft at Mars. Credit: JAXA
NASA is getting involved with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in a sample return mission to Phobos and its sis moon, Deimos, called Mars Moon eXplorer, or MMX. Odysseys Phobos imagery will be handy to scientists working on both Odyssey along with MMX.
More About the Mission
THEMIS was developed and is run by Arizona State University in Tempe. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena.
