SPACE.com -- Mars Odyssey: Search For Martian Hot Spots

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	Mars Odyssey: Search For Martian Hot Spots By Leonard David Senior Science Writer posted: 07:57 pm ET 19 March 2001

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WASHINGTON The next reach for the Red Planet the 2001 Mars Odyssey is ready for an April 7 liftoff, NASA officials declared today. The orbiter carries a suite of instruments expected to unveil yet another Mars never seen by previous spacecraft that have visited the fourth planet from the Sun.

High on Odysseys search agenda: to find evidence for present near-surface water and to map mineral deposits from past water activity. The craft is also equipped to scan the Martian terrain for signs of thermal vents and other "hot spots," such as volcanic activity. A mix of subsurface water and heat may well prove to be a likely niche for past or present-day biological activity.

Onboard the Odyssey spacecraft are three scientific instruments to chart the chemical and mineralogical makeup of Mars: a thermal-emission imaging system, a gamma ray spectrometer and hardware to gauge the amount of radiation that surrounds Mars.

Hot spots, cold world

"Never underestimate Mars to surprise us," said Edward Weiler, NASA associate administrator for space science. He said the orbiter is ideal to carry out a search for Martian Yellowstones' sites where hot springs may exist.

"If theres a hot place on the planet well see it."

Scott Hubbard, Mars program director at NASA Headquarters, said that the 2001 Mars Odyssey is part of a systematic approach to explore the Red Planet. Now on the books are sets of orbiters, rovers, landers -- and perhaps the first Mars return sample missions as early as 2011, he said.

Hubbard said the back-to-back failures of Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander in late 1999 led to a variety of recommendations. Many lessons learned from the failures have been folded into readying the 2001 Mars Odyssey, as well as to help reduce the risk of any mission mishap, he said.

Vigorous reviews and incorporated "lessons learned" have been part of readying NASAs newest Mars craft for flight, Hubbard said. "In this business, its one strike and youre out," he said, adding that better communications between NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and spacecraft builder Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, Colorado received high priority.

"Risk reductioneering"

"Its got to work," said George Pace, 2001 Mars Odyssey project manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Considerable effort has been placed on mitigating the risk within the 2001 Mars Odyssey project, he said, including the use of "Risk Reductioneers" special teams that identified and mitigated potential spacecraft problems.

Pace told SPACE.com that a "seamless review process" was put in place to okay for flight the Mars Odyssey, making it one of the most reviewed missions to head for Mars.

Pace said that around-the-clock testing of the Mars craft has been completed. "There are no hardware problems. The hardware is working great," he said.

"If theres a hot place on the planet, well see it," said Steve Saunders, 2001 Mars Odyssey project scientist at JPL. Using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument to scan for thermal spots during the Martian night are also on tap, he said.

Hubbard said that Odyssey is equipped to detect geothermal activity on Mars, perhaps the warm leftovers from dried-out hot springs. Using the THEMIS instrument contrasted to equipment on the Mars Global Surveyor, more localized searches for potential hot spots on Mars are feasible, he said.

"THEMIS gives us measurements in the infrared that can help us spot things down to less than a hundred meters (yards), perhaps the size of a Yellowstone hot spring," Hubbard said.

Lets get real

Odyssey also totes a gamma ray spectrometer. This device is onboard to scope out the Martian soil, making it possible to calculate how abundant various elements are and how they are distributed around the planets surface. This instrument makes it possible to understand Mars hydrogen abundance.

Knowing the hydrogen levels on Mars, scientists can infer the presence of water, at least within the topmost part of the surface, down to about 3 feet (1 meter), Saunders said.

Saunders said data gleaned by Mars Odyssey is to be made available in a timely manner. "Were going to get science data out as quickly as possible and communicate it immediately," he told SPACE.com.

"We havent seen the real Mars yet, folks. Lets get real," said Jim Garvin, Mars program scientist at NASA Headquarters. With thousands of interesting places to go to on Mars, Odyssey can help identify and help target where future rovers and landers should go in the future, he said.

The 2001 Mars Odyssey helps "bridge the gap" between the now-orbiting Mars Global Surveyor mission and the Viking orbiter missions of the 1970s, Garvin said.