NASA orbiter snaps stunning views of Mars horizon

Astronauts typically react with awe once they see the curvature of Earth beneath the Worldwide Area Station. Now Mars scientists are getting a style of what that is like, because of NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, which accomplished its twenty second yr on the Crimson Planet final month.

The spacecraft captured a collection of panoramic photos that showcases the curving Martian panorama beneath gauzy layers of clouds and dust. Stitched finish to finish, the ten photos supply not solely a contemporary, and beautiful, view of Mars, but additionally one that may assist scientists achieve new insights into the Martian ambiance.

The spacecraft took the photographs in Might from an altitude of about 250 miles (400 kilometers)—the identical altitude at which the space station flies above Earth.

“If there have been astronauts in orbit over Mars, that is the angle they might have,” stated Jonathon Hill of Arizona State College, operations lead for Odyssey’s digicam, referred to as the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS. “No Mars spacecraft has ever had this sort of view earlier than.”

The way it was carried out

The explanation why the view is so unusual is due to the challenges concerned in creating it. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission, and Lockheed Martin Area, which constructed Odyssey and co-leads day-to-day operations, spent three months planning the THEMIS observations. The infrared digicam’s sensitivity to heat permits it to map ice, rock, sand, and dust, together with temperature modifications, on the planet’s floor.

It could actually additionally measure how a lot water ice or dust is within the ambiance, however solely in a slim column straight beneath the spacecraft. That is as a result of THEMIS is mounted in place on the orbiter; it normally factors straight down.

The mission wished a extra expansive view of the ambiance. Seeing the place these layers of water-ice clouds and dust are in relation to one another—whether or not there’s one layer or a number of stacked on prime of one another—helps scientists enhance fashions of Mars’ ambiance.

“I consider it as viewing a cross-section, a slice by means of the ambiance,” stated Jeffrey Plaut, Odyssey’s undertaking scientist at JPL. “There’s numerous element you may’t see from above, which is how THEMIS usually makes these measurements.

As a result of THEMIS cannot pivot, adjusting the angle of the digicam requires adjusting the place of the entire spacecraft. On this case, the workforce wanted to rotate the orbiter nearly 90 levels whereas ensuring the sun would nonetheless shine on the spacecraft’s solar panels however not on delicate gear that would overheat. The simplest orientation turned out to be one the place the orbiter’s antenna pointed away from Earth. That meant the workforce was out of communication with Odyssey for a number of hours till the operation was full.

The Odyssey mission hopes to take related photos sooner or later, capturing the Martian ambiance throughout a number of seasons.

Over the moon

To benefit from their effort, the mission additionally captured imagery of Mars’ little moon Phobos. This marks the seventh time in 22 years that the orbiter has pointed THEMIS on the moon with a purpose to measure temperature variations throughout its floor.

“We received a special angle and lighting circumstances of Phobos than we’re used to,” Hill stated. “That makes it a singular a part of our Phobos dataset.”

The brand new imagery supplies perception into the composition and bodily properties of the moon. Additional research may assist settle a debate over whether or not Phobos, which measures about 16 miles (25 kilometers) throughout, is a captured asteroid or an historic chunk of Mars that was blasted off the floor by an influence.

NASA is collaborating with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Company) in a pattern return mission to Phobos and its sister moon, Deimos, referred to as Mars Moon eXplorer, or MMX. Odyssey’s Phobos imagery might be useful to scientists engaged on each Odyssey in addition to MMX.