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NASA's Orbiter Captures Breathtaking Views of Mars Horizon in Striking Imagery.

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By Surendra Uikey

 



NASA's Odyssey orbiter has treated scientists to an extraordinary perspective of Mars, capturing a captivating view of the planet's horizon from approximately 250 miles above its surface. The meticulously planned operation, taking engineers three months to prepare, employed the THEMIS camera to unveil a panoramic snapshot of Mars' landscape adorned with clouds and dust. Similar to the awe-inspiring moments astronauts experience gazing at Earth's curvature from the International Space Station, the Odyssey's 22nd year at Mars provides a unique Martian equivalent.


The series of images, stitched together, not only presents a breathtaking portrait of Mars but also promises valuable insights into the planet's atmospheric dynamics. Taken in May, these images represent an unprecedented view that mimics the perspective astronauts would have if orbiting Mars. Jonathan Hill of Arizona State University, overseeing Odyssey's camera operations, emphasized the uniqueness of this Martian vista, stating, "No Mars spacecraft has ever had this kind of view before."


NASA's Odyssey Orbiter: Unveiling Mars' Uncommon View – Behind the Extraordinary Imaging Operation.


Creating the uncommon view of Mars required intricate planning and coordination by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission manager, and Lockheed Martin Space, the builder of Odyssey. Over a three-month period, the team meticulously strategized THEMIS observations, utilizing the infrared camera's sensitivity to warmth to map various surface features such as ice, rock, sand, and dust, along with temperature changes on Mars. Although THEMIS is fixed in place and typically points straight down, the mission sought a broader perspective of the atmosphere to enhance models of Mars' atmospheric layers, specifically water-ice clouds and dust.


To achieve this, the team rotated the orbiter almost 90 degrees, a complex maneuver that involved adjusting the entire spacecraft's position. This ensured that the Sun would still illuminate the solar panels while avoiding exposure to sensitive equipment that could overheat. During this operation, lasting several hours, communication with Odyssey was temporarily lost. Jeffrey Plaut, Odyssey’s project scientist at JPL, compared the process to "viewing a cross-section, a slice through the atmosphere," providing intricate details not visible from a straightforward overhead perspective. The success of this operation opens the door for similar images in the future, with the mission aiming to capture the Martian atmosphere across different seasons.


NASA's Odyssey orbiter examines Mars' moon Phobos.


The Odyssey mission seized the opportunity to image Mars' diminutive moon, Phobos. This marked the seventh occasion in the orbiter's 22-year mission duration that the THEMIS camera was directed at Phobos to assess temperature variations across its surface. The unique angle and lighting conditions of the recent imagery contribute to a distinctive dataset, shedding light on the moon's composition and physical properties. The insights gained could play a crucial role in settling the debate over whether Phobos, with a diameter of about 16 miles (25 kilometers), is a captured asteroid or an ancient fragment ejected from Mars due to an impact.


This valuable imagery aligns with NASA's collaboration with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in the Mars Moon eXplorer (MMX) sample return mission to Phobos and its companion moon, Deimos. The data from Odyssey's Phobos imagery will aid scientists involved in both the Odyssey mission and the MMX project.



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