Mission to Mars

For years, there has been speculation about whether or not there is life on Mars. Mars has always been an intriguing planet to humans. For centuries, stories have been told and retold about Martians invading the earth. Does life really exist on Mars? A group of scientists have been working to find out.

One of the latest space probes to travel to Mars was the Odyssey sent by NASA, the U.S. space agency. The Odyssey traveled through space for about seven months before it reached the orbit of Mars. It orbited about 200 miles from Mars’ surface. The most important task for the Odyssey is to identify signs of water. Water means that there are possible signs of life.

There are many important instruments on the Odyssey. The Gamma ray spectrometer is an instrument that is used to detect oxygen and carbon on the surface of Mars. The solar array collects energy from the sun. This is how the Odyssey gets its power. The cameras are used to orient the Odyssey. Communication to earth is possible through the antenna. The Martian radiation environment experiment tests levels of radiation. And finally, the imaging system locates minerals on Mars’ surface.

Because of the Odyssey, scientists have gained valuable information about the planet Mars.