Mars Orbiter Assumes Position to Study Planet
From Times Wire Reports
The most powerful spacecraft ever sent to Mars has settled into a nearly circular orbit, a move that allows scientists to begin studying the planet in unprecedented detail, NASA said.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, fired its thrusters for 12 minutes Monday to adjust to its final position, six months after it arrived at the planet.
Its altitude ranges between 155 and 196 miles above the surface.
Over the next several months, the orbiter will deploy its 33-foot antenna and remove a lens cap from one of its instruments. It will begin collecting data in November, and scientists expect the resolution of those images to be nine times higher.
