Seven Great Mars Pictures From Record-Breaking Probe

"Magnificent" Mars Crater
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Lines of ancient material ejected by a meteorite radiate outward from Mars's Bacolor Crater, a 12-mile-wide (20-kilometer-wide) pit on the surface of the red planet.
The picture of the "magnificent" crater is a combination of photos taken between 2002 and 2005 by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, which became the longest-working spacecraft in Mars's history this week, according to NASA.
December 15 marked the 3,340th day—or nearly ten years—since the spacecraft had entered Mars's orbit on October 24, 2001. Odyssey broke the record previously set by the Mars Global Surveyor, which operated from September 11, 1997, to November 2, 2006. (See photos: "Mars Probe Lost in Space?")
The spacecraft's most famous discovery to date—evidence for copious amounts of water ice lurking just below the dry Martian surface—was also one of its first, said Mars Odyssey project scientist Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
"That was very satisfying, because it was one of the key goals of the mission," Plaut said.
—Ker Than
Published December 17, 2010
Rugged Martian Terrain
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The Martian landscape of plateaus and valleys called Noctis Labyrinthus is seen in a combination of images taken in 2003 and 2005 by Mars Odyssey.
The rugged terrain was formed by the stretching and fracturing of the Martian crust. As faults opened, subsurface ice and water gushed out, causing the ground to collapse. (See more Mars pictures.)
Odyssey's original mission had two goals: to determine what materials make up Mars's surface and to measure radiation on the red planet in preparation for possible future human missions to Mars, NASA's Plaut said.
(See "'Rocket NASCAR,' Moon Base Part of 50-Year Space Vision.")
Published December 17, 2010
Teardrop Mesas
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Teardrop-shaped mesas extend behind impact craters on Mars's Ares Vallis region in this file photograph taken by the Mars Odyssey orbiter. Scientists believe the raised rocky rims once diverted floodwaters on the red planet.
Odyssey's longevity around Mars has allowed scientists to monitor yearly seasonal changes on the red planet, including how carbon dioxide freezes out of the atmosphere above the polar regions in winter.
(Related: "New Google Mars Reveals the Red Planet in 3-D.")
Published December 17, 2010
Martian Canyon Mosaic
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Noctis Labyrinthus's canyons shine in a false-color mosaic made from images taken between April 2003 to September 2005 by the Mars Odyssey orbiter.
The picture highlights a junction where the canyons meet to form a 13,000-foot-deep (4,000-meter-deep) depression. (See another view of Noctis Labyrinthus—called one of the best space pictures of 2009.)
Odyssey was initially supposed to have a companion spacecraft known as the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, but NASA canceled that mission following the failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander in 1999.
However, components of the canceled lander were recycled into another NASA Martian lander, Phoenix, which arrived on the planet in 2008 and was recently shut down.
In a way, Odyssey's companion "did eventually get to Mars," NASA's Plaut said. "That was sort of the pun of the name Phoenix—that it rose from the ashes."
Published December 17, 2010
"Pierced" Crater
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Resembling an arrow-pierced apple, this dual crater on Mars was imaged by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter in May 2005.
Each several miles wide, the craters were formed when a meteorite broke in two shortly before hitting the ground, creating two bowl-shaped depressions.
Mars Odyssey has led a somewhat charmed life, Plaut added. "We haven't had any real difficult moments."
The "biggest crisis" occurred on Halloween 2003, when a solar "superstorm" released a barrage of charged particles that wreaked havoc on all electronics on Mars, he said.
Odyssey lost its radiation-measurement instrument but later recovered.
(Related: "Mars Lander Team Prepares for 'Seven Minutes of Terror.'")
Published December 17, 2010
Mars Sand Sea
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
A sea of dark, wind-sculpted sand dunes is seen in a combination of Mars Odyssey pictures taken between December 2002 and November 2004.
The dunes—which cover an area as big as Texas on Mars's northern polar cap—have colder areas (seen in blue) and warmer areas (seen in yellow and orange).
For a spacecraft that's been in orbit for nearly ten years, Odyssey is in "beautiful condition," Plaut said.
Most of its science instruments are still functioning, and backup systems for Odyssey have never had to be called into action. Perhaps the major limiting factor for the spacecraft is the small amount of fuel needed weekly to maintain its orbit.
If there are no major adjustments to Odyssey's orbit, team member estimate the spacecraft has enough fuel to last 10 to 15 more years.
(See "'Ballistic' Sand May Explain Shifting Martian Dunes.")
Published December 17, 2010
Dune Art
Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Numerous wind-sculpted sand dunes resemble an abstract painting in a 2006 Mars Odyssey picture.
Odyssey was originally commissioned for only a three-year mission, but NASA has extended the probe's working life span three times now, most recently in October.
The spacecraft is now slated to operate through 2012, and there is a good possibility its mission could be extended again to aid NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, nicknamed "Curiosity," which is scheduled to land on the planet in August 2012.
Odyssey currently serves as a communications relay station for NASA's Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, and it could provide the same service for Curiosity, NASA's Plaut said.
"It's quite likely that if the spacecraft is healthy, we'll continue operating for at least a few more years" after 2012, he added.
(Also see "Snow Falling on Mars 'Seen' by NASA Lander.")
Published December 17, 2010