The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched toward Mars on April 7, 2001, from Cape Canaveral; it will arrive at the red planet in just 48 days. 2001 Mars Odyssey is an orbiter carrying three scientific instruments designed to make global observations of Mars to improve our understanding of the planet’s climate and geologic history, including the search for liquid water and evidence of past life. The mission will extend across a full Martian year, or 29 Earth months. The image shows the process of aerobraking, or using the friction of the atmosphere to lower its orbit; this enables the spacecraft to carry less fuel. In the first of a four-part video series, Odyssey navigation team members explain the daily challenges of steering a spacecraft 93 million miles from Earth to Mars. Follow the link to go to the video…