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NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey mission will map the amount and
distribution of chemical elements and minerals that make up the
Martian surface and will also study the planet's landforms. The
Odyssey orbiter will look for hydrogen, most likely in the form of
water ice, in the shallow subsurface of Mars. It will also
characterize the radiation environment at Mars to determine
health risks for any future human explorers. Scheduled for
launch in April 2001, the spacecraft will arrive at Mars in
October 2001. It will gradually use the friction of the
atmosphere to lower its orbit (a technique called aerobraking)
before beginning a full Martian year (2 Earth years) of science
operations. Odyssey will also serve as a communications
relay for U.S. and international landers arriving at Mars
in 2003/2004.
Related Web Sites:
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/
http://themis.asu.edu/
http://grs.lpl.arizona.edu/
http://marie.jsc.nasa.gov/
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