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Space Topics: Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterScience Instruments
The spacecraft carries six instruments for probing the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface to characterize the planet and how it changed over time. Two additional scientific investigations will analyze the motion of the spacecraft in orbit to study the structure of the upper atmosphere and the Martian gravity field. MRO boasts the largest radio antenna ever sent to Mars, with a transmitter powered by large solar panels, to return the data home. MRO will be able to send home 10 times as much data per minute as any previous spacecraft. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) is a
color camera that will be able to capture images at resolutions of 25-50 centimeters
(9.8-19.6) inches per pixel, higher than ever before. The largest diameter
telescopic camera ever sent to another planet, HiRISE will be able to reveal
rocks and layers as small as the width of an office desk, and will image more
than 2% of Mars at resolutions of 1 meter (about 3 feet) per pixel or better.
Stereo image pairs will be acquired over the highest-priority locations allowing
for a relative vertical precision of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches). Only landers
have previously been capable of such high resolution imaging. HiRISE's main
function is to map areas on Mars to be explored later by landers. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometers for Mars (CRISM) will
break down the visible and near-infrared light (with wavelengths from 400
to 4,050 nanometers) reflected from 18-meter-square (59-foot) pixels on the
Martian surface into 560 colors. By analyzing the amount of each color represented
in each pixel, scientists will be able to determine the minerals present on
the surface, mapping the geology, composition and stratigraphy of surface
features, and identifying water-related minerals in patches as small as a
baseball infield. CRISM will also be used to examine seasonal variations in
dust and ice in the atmosphere. Context Imager (CTX) is a camera that will provide necessary
wide-angle images to help place detailed HiRISE and CRISM measurements in
their proper context on Mars. CTX will expand the present area of high-resolution
coverage by a factor of 10, taking images that span 40 kilometers (25 miles)
across at a resolution of 8 meters (26 feet) per pixel. Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD) is a ground-penetrating
radar supplied by the Italian Space Agency that will peer beneath the surface
for layers of rock, ice and, if present, liquid water. SHARAD will send radio
waves (15-25 MHz) toward the Martian surface and listen for the echoes. The
radio frequency was selected so that strong reflections would occur from subsurface
water, enabling SHARAD to map subsurface water deposits to a depth of about
1 kilometer (0.6 miles), a horizontal resolution of about 0.3 to 3 kilometers
or 0.1 to 1.86 miles, and a vertical resolution of 15 meters (49 feet). Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) is a radiometer or atmospheric
profiler that will use visible and infrared light to detect vertical variations
of temperature, dust, and water vapor concentrations in the Martian atmosphere
and study how they change over the course of the mission. Mars Color Imager (MARCI) is a camera that will produce
daily global images of Mars in six different colors in order to follow changes
in weather and ultimately provide global maps of Martian weather. |
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