Reconnaissance Orbiter on Course to Red Planet
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is on course and in apparently good condition as it nears the Red Planet on a search for water and future landing sites, officials said.
The spacecraft, scheduled to enter orbit around Mars on March 10, is expected to examine the planet in unprecedented detail. In addition to cameras that should be able to see the two Martian rovers on the planet, its radar can spot underground features 50 feet across, such as a water basin.
Orbit insertion is the most dangerous part of the mission. NASA has lost contact with two other spacecraft during that maneuver in recent years.
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