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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Mars Odyssey | 1/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Mars_Odyssey | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:05:21.078233+00:00 | kb-cron |
2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million. Its mission is to use spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of past or present water and ice, as well as study the planet's geology and radiation environment. The data Odyssey obtains is intended to help answer the question of whether life once existed on Mars and create a risk-assessment of the radiation that future astronauts on Mars might experience. It also acts as a relay for communications between the Curiosity rover, and previously the Mars Exploration Rovers and Phoenix lander, to Earth. The mission was named as a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke, evoking the name of his and Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001, on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and reached Mars orbit on October 24, 2001, at 02:30 UTC (October 23, 19:30 PDT, 22:30 EDT). It was estimated to have enough propellant to function until the end of 2025, and as of April 2026, it is still collecting data. It currently holds the record for the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, ahead of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (served 14 years) and the Mars Express (serving over 20 years), at 24 years, 6 months and 11 days. As of October 2019 it is in a polar orbit around Mars with a semi-major axis of about 3,800 km or 2,400 miles. On May 28, 2002 (sol 210), NASA reported that Odyssey's GRS instrument had detected large amounts of hydrogen, a sign that there must be ice lying within a meter of the planet's surface, and proceeded to map the distribution of water below the shallow surface. The orbiter also discovered vast deposits of bulk water ice near the surface of equatorial regions.
== Naming == In August 2000, NASA solicited candidate names for the mission. Out of 200 names submitted, the committee chose Astrobiological Reconnaissance and Elemental Surveyor, abbreviated ARES (a tribute to Ares, the Greek god of war). Faced with criticism that this name was not very compelling, and too aggressive, the naming committee reconvened. The candidate name "2001 Mars Odyssey" had earlier been rejected because of copyright and trademark concerns. However, NASA e-mailed Arthur C. Clarke in Sri Lanka, who responded that he would be delighted to have the mission named after his books, and he had no objections. On September 20, NASA associate administrator Ed Weiler wrote to the associate administrator for public affairs recommending a name change from ARES to 2001 Mars Odyssey. Peggy Wilhide then approved the name change.
== Mission objectives == Mapping the levels of elements across the entire Martian surface Determine how much hydrogen exists within the "shallow subsurface" Develop a library of high-resolution images and spectroscopy for the mineral composition of the Martian surface Provide information on the morphology of the Martian surface Identify the "radiation-induced risk to human explorers" through a characterization of the "near-space radiation environment" on the Martian surface
== Scientific instruments == The three primary instruments Odyssey uses are the:
Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). It is an onboard camera that provides visible and infrared imaging to characterize how minerals are distributed on the surface of Mars. Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), including the High Energy Neutron Detector (HEND), provided by Russia. GRS is a collaboration between University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Lab., the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Russia's Space Research Institute. It is a spectrometer focussed on the gamma-ray portion of the spectrum in order to search for various elements in the Martian atmosphere, including carbon, silicon, iron and magnesium. Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). An "energetic particle spectrometer", measuring the radiation levels around Mars.
== Mission ==