2001 Mars Odyssey
The 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter is scheduled for launch on April 7,
2001. It will arrive at Mars on Oct. 20, 2001, if launched on schedule.
After a propulsive maneuver into a 25-hour capture orbit, aerobraking
will be used over the next 76 days to achieve the 2-hour science orbit.
Aerobraking was utilized on the Mars Global Surveyor mission. The
Orbiter will carry 3 science instruments, the Thermal Emission Imaging
System (THEMIS), the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), and the Mars
Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). THEMIS will map the
mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface using a high-resolution
camera and a thermal infrared imaging spectrometer. The GRS will
achieve global mapping of the elemental composition of the surface
and determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface.
The GRS is a rebuild of the instrument lost with the Mars Observer
mission. The MARIE will characterize aspects of the near-space
radiation environment as related to the radiation-related risk to
human explorers.
|