posted 12-16-2010 10:19 AM               

NASA's Odyssey Spacecraft Sets Exploration Record on Mars

NASA's Mars Odyssey, which launched in 2001, will break the record Wednesday for longest-serving spacecraft at the Red Planet. The probe begins its 3,340th day in Martian orbit at 8:55 p.m. EST on Wednesday to break the record set by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which orbited Mars from 1997 to 2006.

Odyssey's longevity enables continued science, including the monitoring of seasonal changes on Mars from year to year and the most detailed maps ever made of most of the planet. In 2002, the spacecraft detected hydrogen just below the surface throughout Mars' high-latitude regions. The deduction that the hydrogen is in frozen water prompted NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which confirmed the theory in 2008. Odyssey also carried the first experiment sent to Mars specifically to prepare for human missions, and found radiation levels around the planet from solar flares and cosmic rays are two to three times higher than around Earth.

Odyssey also has served as a communication relay, handling most of the data sent home by Phoenix and NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Odyssey became the middle link for continuous observation of Martian weather by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Odyssey will support the 2012 landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and surface operations of that mission. MSL will assess whether its landing area has had environmental conditions favorable for microbial life and preserving evidence about whether life has existed there. The rover will carry the largest, most advanced set of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to the Martian surface.

"The Mars program clearly demonstrates that world-class science coupled with sound and creative engineering equals success and longevity," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Other recent NASA spacecraft at Mars include the Mars Global Surveyor that began orbiting the Red Planet in 1997. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on Mars in January 2004. They have been exploring for six years, far surpassing their original 90-day mission. Phoenix landed May 25, 2008, farther north than any previous spacecraft to the planet's surface. The mission's biggest surprise was the discovery of perchlorate, an oxidizing chemical on Earth that is food for some microbes, but potentially toxic for others. The solar-powered lander completed its three-month mission and kept working until sunlight waned two months later. MRO arrived at Mars in 2006 on a search for evidence that water persisted on the planet's surface for a long period of time.

Odyssey is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. JPL and Lockheed Martin collaborate on operating the spacecraft.

posted 11-13-2012 08:46 AM               

Odyssey resumes work after 'B-side' switch

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, already the longest-working spacecraft ever sent to Mars, has successfully switched to using its redundant computer, a system that has not been used since before its launch in 2001.

Odyssey relayed data to Earth late Sunday (Nov. 11, 2012) that it received from NASA's Opportunity rover on Mars using the orbiter's fresh "B-side" radio for UHF (ultra-high frequency) communications. In plans for this week are relays for the newest Mars rover, Curiosity, and resumption of Odyssey's own scientific observations.

"The side-swap has gone well. All the subsystems that we are using for the first time are performing as intended," said Odyssey Project Manager Gaylon McSmith of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Like many spacecraft, Odyssey carries a pair of redundant main computers, so that a backup is available if the other fails. Odyssey's "A-side" computer and "B-side" computer each have several other redundant subsystems linked to just that computer.

The Odyssey team decided to switch to the B-side computer to begin using its inertial measurement unit. This gyroscope-equipped device senses changes in the spacecraft's orientation, providing important information for control of pointing the antenna, solar arrays and instruments.

"We have been on the A side for more than 11 years. Everything on the A side still works, but the inertial measurement unit on that side has been showing signs of wearing out," said Odyssey Mission Manager Chris Potts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We will swap to the B side on Nov. 5 so that we still have some life available in reserve on the A side."

In many potential problem situations, the Odyssey's autonomous fault-protection response would switch the spacecraft from the active side to the other side. By preserving the capability of switching back to a fully functional A side, the mission continues to have the available protection of switching sides temporarily and correcting any fixable anomaly on the B side.

"The spare inertial measurement unit is factory new, last operated on the day before launch," Potts said.

Odyssey launched April 7, 2001, began orbiting Mars on Oct. 24 of that year, began systematic science observations of Mars in early 2002, and broke the previous record for longest-working Mars probe in December 2010.

Odyssey's longevity enables continued science, including monitoring the seasonal changes on Mars from year to year, and continued relay service.

"It is testimony to the excellent design of this spacecraft and operation of this mission in partnership with Lockheed Martin that we have brand-new major components available to begin using after more than 11 years at Mars," McSmith said.

posted 06-23-2015 01:52 PM               

Veteran NASA Spacecraft Nears 60,000th Lap Around Mars, No Pit Stops

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft will reach a major milestone June 23, when it completes its 60,000th orbit since arriving at the Red Planet in 2001.

Named after the bestselling novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke, Odyssey began orbiting Mars almost 14 years ago, on Oct. 23, 2001. On Dec. 15, 2010, it became the longest-operating spacecraft ever sent to Mars, and continues to hold that record today.

Odyssey, which discovered widespread water ice just beneath the surface of the Red Planet, is still going strong today, serving as a key communications relay for NASA's Mars rovers and making continued contributions to planetary science.

"This orbital milestone is an opportunity to celebrate Odyssey's many achievements," said Jim Green, NASA's director of Planetary Science. "Odyssey will continue to help lay a foundation for the first humans to Mars in the 2030s through NASA's Journey to Mars initiative."

Odyssey's major discoveries began in the early months of its two-year primary mission, with gamma-ray and neutron measurements that indicated plentiful water ice just beneath the surface at high latitudes on Mars. The spacecraft's unexpectedly long service has enabled achievements such as completion of the highest-resolution global map of Mars and observation of seasonal and year-to-year changes, such as freezing and thawing of carbon dioxide.

Through its many accomplishments, the spacecraft also has aided NASA's preparations for human missions to Mars by monitoring radiation in the environment around the planet via the Mars Radiation Environment Experiment, developed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Odyssey currently is completing an adjustment to an orbit that will position it to pass over Martian terrain lit by early-morning sunlight rather than afternoon light. In its current orbit, the spacecraft always flies near each pole and along what is called the terminator. The terminator is a "line" encircling Mars that passes through any point on the planet's surface at sunrise and again at sunset, separating the portion of Mars lit by the sun from the portion experiencing darkness, dividing day and night. The position of this line varies by time of day and time of year.

"Upcoming observations will focus on what is happening in the Martian atmosphere in the morning, such as clouds, hazes and fogs, and on frosts on the surface that burn off by later in the day," said Jeffrey Plaut, Odyssey project scientist at JPL.

The planned drift to a morning-daylight orbit began in 2012, was accelerated in 2014, and will be completed with a maneuver in November to lock in the orbit timing so that each pass over the equator occurs at the same time of day.

"We have performed many orbit maneuvers over the long life of this mission, and we will use that experience conducting the one to halt the drift," said Steve Sanders, Odyssey spacecraft engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver.

To date, Odyssey's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) has yielded 208,240 images in visible-light wavelengths and 188,760 in thermal infrared wavelengths. THEMIS images are the basis for detailed global maps and identification of some surface materials, such as chloride salt deposits and silica-rich terrain. The infrared imaging also indicates how quickly regions of the surface cool at night or warm in sunlight, telling researchers how dusty or rocky the ground is.

Odyssey's three-instrument Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) suite detected significant amount of hydrogen on the planet -- interpreted as water ice hidden beneath the surface. This discovery prompted NASA to send its Phoenix Mars Lander to an arctic plain on Mars in 2008, where it examined the water ice detected by Odyssey. The spectrometer suite also mapped global distribution of key chemical elements, such as iron and potassium. The University of Arizona, Tucson, headed its development. Two GRS instruments are still active: the high-energy neutron detector from the Russian Space Research Institute and the neutron spectrometer from Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico.

As a communications relay for NASA's Mars rovers, Odyssey has transmitted to Earth more than 90 percent of the data received from the Opportunity rover. Future plans for Odyssey include relay duty for NASA and European Space Agency landers arriving on Mars in 2016.

Odyssey launched on April 7, 2001 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Odyssey Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and collaborates with JPL in mission operations. Arizona State University, Tempe, provided and operates THEMIS.

posted 12-31-2016 04:39 AM               

Orbiter Recovering from Precautionary Pause in Activity

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, which has been in service at Mars since October 2001, put itself into safe mode — a protective standby status — on Dec. 26, while remaining in communication with Earth.

The Odyssey project team has diagnosed the cause — an uncertainty aboard the spacecraft about its orientation with regard to Earth and the sun — and is restoring the orbiter to full operations. Odyssey's communication-relay service for assisting Mars rover missions is expected to resume this week, and Odyssey's own science investigations of the Red Planet are expected to resume next week.

The orbiter's knowledge of its orientation was restored Dec. 26 by resetting the inertial measurement unit and the circuit card that serves as interface between that sensor, the flight software and the star tracker, for determining spacecraft attitude. The mission last experienced a similar fault and solution in December 2013.

Mars Odyssey left Earth on April 7, 2001, entered orbit around Mars on Oct. 24, and began systematically examining Mars in February 2002. In December 2010, it surpassed the previous record for longevity of a robotic mission at Mars. The Mars Odyssey Project has been extending that record daily for more than six years.

In addition to its direct contributions to planetary science, Odyssey provides important support for other missions in NASA's Journey to Mars through communication-relay service and observations of candidate landing sites.

posted 04-07-2021 04:36 PM               

ASU team celebrates 20 years of mapping Mars with NASA's Odyssey orbiter

Observing its 20th anniversary, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, the longest-lived spacecraft at the red planet, has helped locate water ice, find landing sites and study the planet's mysterious moons.

On board this spacecraft is the ASU-led Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS. The camera measures the surface temperature day and night, allowing scientists to determine what physical materials, such as rock, sand or dust, exist. Its data reveal the presence of these materials based on how they heat up or cool down over the course of a Martian day. The spacecraft also includes gamma ray spectrometer detectors, which measure the amount of different elements on the Martian surface.

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft launched 20 years ago on April 7, making it the oldest spacecraft still working at the red planet. The orbiter, which takes its name from Arthur C. Clarke's classic sci-fi novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" (he blessed its use before launch), was sent to map the composition of the Martian surface, providing a window to the past so scientists could piece together how the planet evolved. But it's done far more than that, uncovering troves of water ice, serving as a crucial communications link for other spacecraft, and helping pave the way not just for safer landings but astronauts.

For the ASU THEMIS team, led by Regents Professor Philip Christensen of ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration, two decades of data have led to complete global maps of Mars. These maps have allowed scientists to chart valley networks and craters; map water ice; spot sandstone, iron-rich volcanic rocks, and clays; and ultimately lend deeper insight to Mars' story.

"In the past 40 years Mars has gone from a red dot in the sky to a world we have come to know almost as well as our own," said Christensen. "Mars Odyssey and THEMIS have played a major role in that transformation and it has been a great privilege to have been part of the exploration of Mars."

The orbiter has sent back more than 1 million images since it began circling Mars. Not only have those images and the maps it's produced helped missions figure out what parts of Mars they want to study up close, it's helped NASA decide where to land its Mars missions – including the Perseverance rover, which touched down on Feb. 18, 2021.

Odyssey has done such a thorough job of studying the Martian surface that scientists have started turning its THEMIS camera to capture unique views of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. In June 2020, the ASU team published three new views of Phobos, capturing the moon as it drifted in and out of Mars' shadow. Studying each moon's thermophysics helps scientists determine the properties of materials on their surfaces, just as they did for the Martian surface. Such information can help offer glimmers into their past: It's unclear whether the moons are captured asteroids or chunks of Mars, blasted off the surface by an ancient impact.

Future missions, like the Japanese Space Agency's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), may seek to land on these moons. In the distant future, missions might even create bases for astronauts. And if they do, they'll be relying on data from an orbiter that began its odyssey at the start of the millennium.

Top 5 scientific discoveries from THEMIS

With 20 years of data, there are mountains of research related to THEMIS, but Christensen does have his own top five list of discoveries listed here in rank order. To read about more discoveries visit the ASU THEMIS webpage.

1. Mars has large expanses of exposed bedrock: THEMIS results show winds have scoured many areas of Martian bedrock clear of sand and dust.

2. Evolved lavas: At Syrtis Major, THEMIS found volcanos and flows of dacite, a chemically evolved lava that implies a complex volcanic history for Mars.

3. Gas jets spawn dark "spiders" and spots on Mars icecap: Scientists use THEMIS data to discover that sand-spewing gas jets are the cause of mysterious dark markings that appear every spring on the Martian south polar cap.

4. Melting snow carved gullies: Water from melting snow eroded many of the geologically recent gullies on Mars — and snowpacks still linger on many poleward-facing slopes in the middle latitudes.

5. Olivine-rich rocks point to cold, dry Martian past: In Syrtis Major, THEMIS mapped the largest known exposure of olivine-rich rocks on Mars. Because olivine decomposes easily when wet, its survival from ancient times suggests Mars has been cold and dry for much of its history.

An Odyssey for everyone

Beyond building and operating THEMIS, the ASU team has developed several tools for the scientific community and for science enthusiasts alike at their Mars Space Flight Facility.

One of the most widely used such tools is a geospatial information system (GIS) called the Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing, or JMARS for short. It has been publicly available since 2003 and was recently named by Oracle as one of the Top 25 Greatest Java Apps Ever Written. JMARS is used by thousands of people, providing mission planning and data-analysis tools to NASA scientists, instrument team members, students and the general public

Not one to rest on their laurels, the Mars Space Flight Facility teamed up last year with Assistant Professor Robert LiKamWa and graduate student Lauren Gold of the Meteor Studio in ASU's School of Arts, Media and Engineering to launch a new smartphone app called JMARS AR Viewer. Downloadable for free from Apple and Android stores, the JMARS AR Viewer allows users to virtually project planetary terrains from Mars, Mercury, Earth and the moon onto their physical environment.

But the team's contributions are not limited to the digital platform. ASU Mars scientist Jonathon Hill compiled 24,000 individual images taken by THEMIS to design a basketball court-size map of Mars. The map can be transported to schools and events so science enthusiasts of all ages can "walk" on Mars. The map has even traveled to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where visitors could take a stroll on the red planet, go on a geographical scavenger hunt and talk to Mars scientists.

"Mars is a very dynamic and changing place, so we hope that THEMIS and Odyssey will continue to observe the planet for many more years to come," said Christensen. "Exploration always has surprises so even after 20 years we never really know what to expect in each image we take."

THEMIS was built and is operated by ASU. Odyssey's Gamma Ray Spectrometer was provided by the University of Arizona, Tucson, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Russian Space Research Institute. The prime contractor for the Odyssey project, Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena.