 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Odyssey Mars Probe Lost
Pasadena - Oct 23, 2001 For the third time in two years NASA appears to have lost a spacecraft about Mars. The Mars Odyssey 2001 space probe was to have fired its main engine for 20 minutes at 7.26pm Pacific Time, with confirmation of a successful orbital insertion expected shortly after 7.56pm Pacific Time evening when Odyssey's time delayed signal was to have been reacquired by NASA's Deep Space Network at Goldstone. However, so far no signal has been detected with the fate of the $300 million spacecraft unknown at this time. "The flight team uplinked the sequence of commands that control the orbit insertion on October 15," said Odyssey project manager Matthew Landano in an earlier report. Before going into orbit, the probe's fuel tanks -- the size of two volleyballs -- were pressurized and the hydraulic pipes warmed. Firing the main engine for 20 minutes burnt 262.9 kilograms (580 pounds) of fuel. The probe's initial orbit, was to have been an oval shape, with an orbital period of 19 hours, that was to be gradually reduced in a difficult process known as aerobraking. Eventually, Mars Odyssey 2001 was to have settled into a two-hour circular orbit at an altitude of about 400 kilometers (250 miles). The 725-kilogram (1,600-pound) probe, was launched April 7 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The probe was equipped with a gamma ray spectrometer, which includes a high-energy neutron detector, as well as a thermal-emission imaging system and a Martian radiation environment experiment. These highly sophisticated measuring instruments were to be used by scientists to gather data on the possible presence of water in the Martian crust, at up to one meter (yard) below the surface. The 300-million-dollar (337-million-euro) mission had been considered a critical resumption for Mars exploration by NASA, and was the first new program launched to Mars since the failure of the two 1999 probes, which crashed into the planet's surface through human errors. Related Links Odyssey 2001 Mission Home SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
An Odyssey Of Martian Science
Pasadena - Oct 23, 2001The Mars Odyssey 2001 space probe has successfully being inserted into orbit about Mars following a 20 minute engine burn. Confirmation of the successful orbital insertion came at 7.56pm Pacific Time Tuesday evening when Odyssey's time delayed signal was reacquired by NASA's Deep Space Network. This is the first time a probe has approached Mars since the failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander probes in 1999. It arrives after a 200-day, 460 million kilometer (286 million mile) voyage and will spend the two-and-a-half years helping planetary scientists study the geology and chemical composition of the red planet. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
