April 3, 2001. Copyright 2001. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

Mars Odyssey mission has got to work

LONDON, April 3, Graphic News: Chastened by two spectacular failures, NASA hopes to be on its way back to Mars this week with the launch of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

If all goes to plan, Odyssey is set to blast off aboard a Delta rocket on Saturday, en-route to the Red Planet for a 30-month geological survey. The spacecraft will map the chemicals and minerals in the Martian surface in a search for frozen water, vital for any future manned mission, and evaluate radiation that could be risky to humans.

The Odyssey, named in honour of the book and movie Ò2001: A Space Odyssey,Ó is the first following a major overhaul of NASAÕs Mars exploration strategy following the 1999 losses of the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander.

ÒEveryone has goose bumps right now,Ó project manager George Pace said. ÒBut no stressed nerves.Ó He repeated: ÒAnxietyÕs fine.Ó

The Mars Climate Orbiter was the victim of an embarrassing misunderstanding; the craft burned up in the planetÕs atmosphere after one set of engineers used imperial units for navigation while another assumed the numbers were in metric.

The Mars Polar Lander smashed to the surface after a false signal caused its engines to shut off before it landed. 

This time NASA has spent millions more on the spacecraft, assigned more people to the team and conducted more tests to uncover any fatal flaws.

With an overall final price tag of US$297 million this mission must succeed. ÒThis one has got to work, even my cab driver said so,Ó said Pace. ÒBut we have done everything we can to minimize the risk.Ó

Odyssey will carry a suite of scientific instruments including a thermal emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and an experiment to check the Martian radiation environment.

The main structure of the craft is about the size of a mini car, but its solar panels have a wingspan of about 19 ft (5.8m). It weighs about 1,600 lb (725kg) and will travel 286 million miles (460 million km) to get to Mars, arriving in October.

The thermal imaging system will look for hot spots on the planet where gas or water might be escaping, Ed Weiler, head of NASAÕs office of space science, said at a news briefing. He dubbed these possible features as ÒMartian Yellowstones,Ó after the geysers in the U.S. national park of that name.

The gamma ray spectrometer will seek to determine the mineral composition of the upper layer of the Martian surface, down to perhaps a depth of 3 ft (1m).

The radiation experiment is meant to check the dangers to possible human explorers, although no human mission to Mars is even in the early planning stages at NASA, Weiler said.

ÒBefore we can even contemplate human missions to Mars, we really have to understand Mars as a planet,Ó he added. ÒWe have to understand what the radiation environment is and if there is water.Ó

The Odyssey is the first of six planned missions to Mars. A pair of rovers that will land on the planet is set for launch in 2003 and a scientific orbiter will be launched in 2005.
/ENDS
Sources: NASA, Reuters, Associated Press