Joseph loves Astronomy and they have been talking about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the spacecraft that arrived at Mars on a day like today in 2006.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relay data from surface missions back to Earth.
It was launched on August 12, 2005 and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.
In November 2006, after five months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase.
The cost to develop and operate MRO through the end of its prime mission in 2010 was US$716.6 million.
The spacecraft continues to operate at Mars, far beyond its intended design life. Due to its critical role as a high-speed data-relay for ground missions, NASA intends to continue the mission as long as possible, at least through the late 2020s.
After the twin failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander missions in 1999, NASA reorganized and replanned its Mars Exploration Program.
In October 2000, NASA announced its reformulated Mars plans, which reduced the number of planned missions and introduced a new theme: follow the water. The plans included a newly christened Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to launch in 2005.
On October 3, 2001, NASA chose Lockheed Martin as the primary contractor for the spacecraft's fabrication.
By the end of 2001 all of the mission's instruments were selected. There were no major setbacks during MRO's construction, and the spacecraft was shipped to John F. Kennedy Space Center on May 1, 2005 to prepare it for launch.
More information: NASA
MRO has both scientific and mission support objectives. The prime science mission was designed to last from November 2006 to November 2008, and the mission support phase from November 2006-November 2010. Both missions have been extended.
The formal science objectives of MRO are to:
-Observe the present climate, particularly its atmospheric circulation and seasonal variations.
-Search for signs of water, both past and present, and understand how it altered the planet's surface.
-Map and characterize the geological forces that shaped the surface.
The two mission support objectives for MRO are to:
-Provide data relay services from ground missions back to Earth.
-Characterize the safety and feasibility of potential future landing sites and Mars rover traverses.
More information: The Planetary Society
MRO played a key role in choosing safe landing sites for the Phoenix lander (2007), Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity rover (2012), InSight lander (2018), and the Mars 2020/Perseverance rover (2021).
On August 12, 2005, MRO was launched aboard an Atlas V-401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Centaur upper stage of the rocket completed its burns over a fifty-six-minute period and placed MRO into an interplanetary transfer orbit towards Mars.
MRO cruised through interplanetary space for seven and a half months before reaching Mars. While en route most of the scientific instruments and experiments were tested and calibrated. To ensure proper orbital insertion upon reaching Mars, four trajectory correction maneuvers were planned and a fifth emergency maneuver was discussed. However, only three trajectory correction maneuvers were necessary, which saved 27 kg of fuel that would be usable during MRO's extended mission.
MRO began orbital insertion by approaching Mars on March 10, 2006, and passing above its southern hemisphere at an altitude of 370-400 kilometers. All six of MRO's main engines burned for 27 minutes to slow the probe from 2,900 to 1,900 meters per second. The helium pressurization tank was colder than expected, which reduced the pressure in the fuel tank by about 21 kilopascals. The reduced pressure caused the engine thrust to be diminished by 2%, but MRO automatically compensated by extending the burn time by 33 seconds.
Three cameras, two spectrometers and a radar are included on the orbiter along with two science-facility instruments, which use data from engineering subsystems to collect science data. Three technology experiments will test and demonstrate new equipment for future missions. It is expected MRO will obtain about 5,000 images per year.
More information: Space
imagine Earth without it.
Mars comes to mind.
No ocean, no life support system.
Sylvia Earle
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