Washington (AFP) Oct 23, 2001 - The Mars Odyssey 2001 space probe succeeded late Tuesday in entering the orbit of Mars to study the geology and chemical composition of the Red Planet, US space officials announced.
Pasadena - Oct 23, 2001 - For the third time in two years NASA appears to have lost a spacecraft about Mars. The Mars Odyssey 2001 space probe was to have fired its main engine for 20 minutes at 7.26pm Pacific Time, with confirmation of a successful orbital insertion expected shortly after 7.56pm Pacific Time evening when Odyssey's time delayed signal was to have been reacquired by NASA's Deep Space Network at Goldstone.
Pasadena - Oct 21, 2001 - NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is carrying a suite of scientific instruments designed to tell us what makes up the Martian surface, and provide vital information about potential radiation hazards for future human explorers.
Pasadena - Oct 21, 2001 - Aerobraking is a spaceflight technique wherein an orbiting spacecraft brushes against the top of a planetary atmosphere. The friction of the atmosphere against the surface of the spacecraft slows down and lowers the craft's orbital altitude. The solar panels is are used to provide the maximum drag in a symmetrical position that allows some control as the spacecraft passes through the atmosphere.
Pasadena - Oct 19, 2001 - After 200 days of travel and more than 460 million kilometers (about 285 million miles) logged on its odometer, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft will fire its main engine for the first and only time Oct. 23 and put itself into orbit around the red planet.
Adelaide - Oct 18, 2001 - Mars Society Australia announced today that the media and general public will be able to meet members of their Project Jarntimarra expedition, before they depart later this month to scout for Mars-like locations in the Australian outback. A highlight will be the rare opportunity to meet high-profile NASA space scientists Dr Carol Stoker and Dr Larry Lemke, both of whom work on Mars-related projects aimed at getting humans to the Red Planet.
Tucson - Oct 16, 2001 - University of Arizona space scientists are inviting the public to join them on campus at a special open house at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. next Tuesday, Oct. 23, as the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft arrives at Mars.
Tempe - Oct 14, 2001 - When NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft reaches Mars on October 23, Arizona State University geologist Philip Christensen will be as nervous as a scientist can be, watching a critical experiment enter a key phase. He has an important instrument aboard the spacecraft which is entering a difficult stage in its journey and all he can do is sit and watch television, waiting for word of success or failure.
Pasadena - Oct 14, 2001 - Following a s final planned course correction, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is on perfect target to enter Martian orbit later this month at 7:26pm Pacific time Oct. 23 (0226 UT Oct. 24).
Baltimore - Oct 11, 2001 - A pair of eagle-eyed NASA spacecraft -- the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Hubble Space Telescope -- are giving amazed astronomers scientists a ringside seat to the biggest global dust storm seen on Mars in several decades.
Melbourne - Oct 10, 2001 - In early August some eighty international scientists from around the world met in August in Houston, Texas, at the NASA-sponsored GeoMars conference to discuss current and future missions to the Red Planet and instruments, data and observations relevant to the subsurface distribution of volatiles.
Bradford - Oct 10, 2001 - University of Bradford PhD student Emma Newton is playing a part in helping NASA's planned exploration of Mars which many people hope will lead to discovering life on the planet.
Tucson - Oct 9, 2001 - An enormous ancient drainage basin and aquifer system lies hidden and deformed in one of the most geologically dynamic landscapes on Mars, scientists conclude from a comprehensive, more than 10-year study.
Seattle - Oct 7, 2001 - Pendragon Pictures' principals are concerned over a rumor that production of War of the Worlds is about to resume on October 8th. Director Timothy Hines expresses dismay at the rumor, It is absolutely not true that War of the Worlds is about to resume.
Tempe - Oct 4, 2001 - TES is both an instrument and a technique. The Thermal Emission Spectrometer is a scientific instrument that first flew aboard the Mars Observer spacecraft. Following the loss of that spacecraft, TES was rebuilt and launched along with five of the original seven Mars Observer instruments aboard the new Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The purpose of TES is to measure the thermal infrared energy (heat) emitted from Mars. This technique, called thermal emission spectroscopy, can tell us much about the geology and atmosphere of Mars. TES data will provide the first detailed look at the composition of Mars.
Pasadena - October 3, 2001 - NASA has selected Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, to build the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft scheduled for launch in August 2005 to return the highest resolution images yet of the Red Planet.
