NASA's New Mars Orbiter Bears Down on Red Planet

Posted on: Mar. 8th, 2006 || Source: voanews.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

The newest American mission to Mars is hurtling toward the red planet, due Friday to examine it in the sharpest detail yet. It will be the largest spacecraft to circle the planet, with big capabilities to match.

Since 1997, the U.S. space agency NASA has been dispatching orbiters and companion landers to Mars about every two years to get a better geological understanding of Earth's nearest planetary neighbor. It especially wants to learn if conditions ever existed that could have supported life. The latest in the series is the huge Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, two stories tall and nearly 15 meters wide. It is closing in on the red planet after a seven month voyage from Earth.

The head of NASA's Mars exploration program, Douglas McCuistion says the effort now moves into a more intensive phase of investigation.

"So this is a big mission for us," he said. "It's big in the strategic role in the Mars exploration program, it's the biggest orbiter sent to Mars in the past 30 years, carrying the most powerful suite of remote sensing instruments ever deployed to another planet."

Read the full article

• Boeing's C-130 AMP Flight Marks Completion of Software Development
• Navy UCAS Demonstrator On Track for First Flight
• Lockheed Demonstrates Intelligent Autonomous Control of Multiple UAVs
• Russian Navy aircraft test new equipment over the Arctic
• Russia may push forward with S-300 sales to Iran
• Boeing, US Navy Offer Super Hornet for Denmark Fighter Competition
• Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
• The Netherlands shows interest in Gripen
• 4th F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out As Production Line Fills Up At Lockheed
• Lockheed Martin C-5m Super Galaxy Completes Flight Test
• Air Guard Predator pilots increase combat air patrols
• Predator passes 400,000 hours
• Future Predator/Reaper Formal Training Unit announced
• Saab/Gripen team completes Hungarian offset contract
• South African Gripen deliveries on track