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Space Topics: 2001 Mars OdysseyScience instruments2001 Mars Odyssey carries three science instruments, two of which continue to operate.
Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) is a
spectrometer that measured and characterized aspects of the radiation environment
both on the way to Mars and in the Martian orbit to determine the radiation-related
risk to human explorers. The instrument, with a 68-degree field of view, collected
data during Odyssey's cruise from Earth to Mars. It stored large amounts of
data for downlink whenever possible, and operated in orbit around Mars until
a large solar event bombarded the Odyssey spacecraft on October 28, 2003.
MARIE has been unable to collect data since that time. Engineers believe the
most likely cause is that a computer chip was damaged by a solar particle
smashing into the MARIE computer board. Engineers will attempt to turn on
MARIE again in the winter of 2005, after enough time has passed that MARIE
may have recovered itself, like it did during a similar incident during cruise.
Principal investigator: Cary Zeitlin, NASA Johnson Space Center [Ed. Note:
Gautam Badhwar was the principal investigator and the Senior Scientist for
Space Radiation at JSC until his death in August of 2001.] The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) is a spectrometer that is really three instruments in one: a Gamma-Ray Sensor, a Neutron Spectrometer, and a High Energy Neutron Detector. This instrument has been used to analyze the chemical composition of the Martian surface. This experiment has successfully measured the abundance and distribution of many elements of the periodic table, including hydrogen, silicon, iron, potassium, thorium, and chlorine. Knowing what elements are at or near the surface gives scientists the detailed information they need to understand how Mars has changed over time. Of particular interest is hydrogen, for finding hydrogen in various forms will speed the search for the most sought-after hydrogen link of all -- water. This instrument has the tantalizing capability to detect water, if it exists, at shallow depths beneath Mars' surface and is gathering data to produce a global map of potential water deposits, as well as taking measurements of the seasonal changes of the polar ice caps. Principal investigator: William Boynton, University of Arizona Links
TPS 2001 Mars Odyssey Data Page 2001 Mars Odyssey Home Page Where is Odyssey now? Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) |
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