PIA04144: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Multipurpose Mission Successfully Launched


Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Multipurpose Mission Successfully Launched

Caption:

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Instrument Host Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords Atmosphere, Color, Water
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2005-08-12
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL/KSC/Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04144
Identifier PIA04144