We’re back at Mars

Associated Press

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft successfully entered orbit late Tuesday around the Red Planet, where the space agency suffered back-to-back failures on its previous two tries.

Engineers and scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory received indication about 8:30 p.m. PDT that a programmed engine firing had slowed the spacecraft and allowed Mars to capture it into an egg-shaped orbit.

Mission control at the lab erupted in cheers.

"It’s great. It’s wonderful. We’re back at Mars," said Daniel McCleese, chief scientist of the JPL Mars program. "The orbit looks even better than the predictions. It’s really good."

Odyssey dove over Mars’ north pole and dipped behind the planet after the burn began, leaving mission team members waiting anxiously. About 20 minutes later the probe reappeared and transmitted a signal to Earth across 93 million miles of space.

The Mars Odyssey, which reached Mars after a six-month, 286 million-mile journey from Earth, is the first mission to the planet since two NASA failures in 1999. For the space agency, the project represented a shot at redemption.

Odyssey was equipped with two instruments to map the distribution of minerals and search for water on the planet’s dusty surface. Liquid water is considered a necessary element for life; finding reservoirs could help determine whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

A third instrument was designed to measure radiation on Mars and how that might endanger humans if they are ever sent to explore the planet.

Odyssey — a box 7 feet long, 5 1/2feet tall and 8 1/2feet wide, with a 19-foot solar panel and antennas — was also designed to help pick landing sites for future missions, including twin rovers NASA intends to launch in 2003.