NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, which recentlysettled into its proper orbit around Mars, has now deployed an antenna thatis needed for high-speed data downloads to Earth.

The high-gain communications antenna, as it is called, wasunfurled at 10:29 ET Tuesday, Feb. 5. The act is on of the final steps requiredto get the probe ready to begin science missions. The antenna boom was deployed to its latched position with amotor-driven hinge and locked intoplace as expected, officials said Wednesday.

The antenna's position is controlled with a two-axis gimbalassembly that allows the spacecraft tocommunicate with Earth while the scienceinstruments are simultaneously collecting data of Mars. Tuesday night,flight controllers checked out the gimbals, which allow the antenna to be pointed in a variety of positions to track Earth.

The high-gain antenna is 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) in diameter, with a parabolic shape. The antenna can transmit at data rates as high as 110 thousand bits persecond.

"Successful deployment of the high gain antenna pavesthe way for Odyssey to achieve the realpayoff of the mission, the science datareturn," said David A. Spencer, Odyssey's mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin Pasadena, Calif.

The science instruments are expected to begin collecting data later this month. Flight controllers first need to test themapping orientation of the spacecraft, in which the instruments are pointed atMars while the antenna tracks Earth.

The mission's major goal is to map the amount anddistribution of chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martiansurface. Odyssey will especially look for hydrogen, most likely in the form ofwater ice, in the shallow subsurface of Mars.

The craft reached Mars Oct. 23

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