Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter facts for kids
Artist's impression of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.
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| Mission type | Mars orbiter |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| Website | |
| Mission duration | Primary mission: 2 years Elapsed: 18 years, 8 months and 14 days from launch 18 years, 1 month and 16 days (6445 sols) at Mars |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin / University of Arizona / APL / ASI / Malin Space Science Systems |
| Launch mass | 2,180 kg (4,810 lb) |
| Dry mass | 1,031 kg (2,273 lb) |
| Payload mass | 139 kg (306 lb) |
| Power | 2,000.0 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | August 12, 2005, 11:43:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |
| Contractor | ILS |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Inclination | 93 degrees |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | March 10, 2006, 21:24:00 UTC MSD 46990 12:48 AMT 20 Dhanus 211 Darian |
 Official insignia of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. |
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA spacecraft. It launched August 12, 2005 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at Mars on March 10, 2006. It went into orbit around Mars, and has been studying the planet since then. The main area of study is looking for water on Mars, under the surface of Mars, and in the atmosphere of Mars. To do this, it has the largest telescope ever sent to another planet. The orbiter also works as a communications satellite. Its powerful antennas send and receive messages between NASA on Earth, and rovers on the surface of Mars.
Images for kids
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Launch of Atlas V carrying the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 11:43:00 UTC August 12, 2005
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Transfer orbit from Earth to Mars. TCM-1 to TCM-4 denote the planned trajectory correction maneuvers.
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Artwork of MRO aerobraking
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HiRISE camera structure
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Victoria crater from HiRise
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Mars Color Imager on the right side
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CRISM Instrument
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An artist's concept of MRO using SHARAD to "look" under the surface of Mars
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Size comparison of MRO with predecessors
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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter solar panel
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MRO High Gain Antenna installation
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Data comparison chart
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Water ice excavated by an impact crater that formed between January and September 2008. The ice was identified spectroscopically using CRISM.
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Lobate debris apron in Phlegra Montes, Cebrenia quadrangle. The debris apron is probably mostly ice with a thin covering of rock debris, so it could be a source of water for future Martian colonists. Scale bar is 500 m (1,600 ft).
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Chloride deposits in Terra Sirenum
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Two pictures from HiRISE showing how ice disappeared over time in a crater. The crater on the left is before ice disappeared. The crater is 6 meters in diameter and located in Cebrenia quadrangle.
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Martian avalanche and debris falls (HiRISE 2008)
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A photo with scale demonstrates the size of the avalanche.
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Image of Phoenix landing on Mars, as seen by HiRISE. Although in the image it appears to be descending into the crater, Phoenix actually landed 20 km (12 mi) away from it.
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The Phoenix lander and its heatshield as seen by HiRISE
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Tracks of the rover Opportunity, as seen by HiRISE. The white dots are places where the rover stopped to perform scientific observations or turned.
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Opportunity as seen by HiRISE on January 29, 2009. Opportunity is on its way to Endeavour Crater, 17 km (11 mi) away at this point.
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The Curiosity rover during atmospheric entry as seen by HiRISE on August 6, 2012. Supersonic parachute and backshell visible.
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Perseverance rover parachute descend over the Jezero crater photographed by HiRISE on February 18, 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter para niños
