NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft experienced a computer reset that may have been caused by a solar flare, Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Friday. The reset Tuesday morning apparently caused the spacecraft to put itself in “safe mode” for about 24 hours. Normal operations resumed Wednesday.
April 27th, 2001
Mars-bound spacecraft has computer reset, possibly by solar flare The Sacramento Bee
April 25th, 2001
Stakes high for new Mars orbiter
Somewhere between you and Mars, the Odyssey orbiter surfs the sky. Named for Arthur C. Clarke’s science-fiction novel and movie, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the $300 million probe left Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 7, with the hopes and, some say, the fate of NASA riding on it. Less than a week after it launched aboard a Delta II rocket, the Mars Odyssey was already around a million miles from Earth — with 285 million miles to go before it reaches Mars.
April 23rd, 2001
Earth Day Portrait Is First One Snapped By Mars Odyssey
NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft turned its multipurpose camera homeward last week and took its first picture — a shot of a faint crescent Earth — as the spacecraft heads off toward its destination, the planet Mars. The image was taken as part of the calibration process for the thermal emission imaging system, the camera system that is one of three science instrument packages on the spacecraft. The imaging system will study the Martian surface in both visible and infrared light and will help determine what minerals are present. It also will map landscapes on Mars at resolutions comparable to that of NASA’s Landsat Earth observing satellite.
April 19th, 2001
Mars Odyssey: looking good
This morning flight controllers turned the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and pointed the thermal emission imaging system (THEMIS) instrument at the Earth and Moon to calibrate the instrument. All calibration objectives were met. Engineers are in the process of redesigning the spacecraft’s cruise attitude after they noted temperature readings that were higher than expected on a high-gain antenna gimbal earlier this week. The cruise attitude points the high-gain antenna toward Earth as the spacecraft travels toward Mars.
April 13th, 2001
Mars Odyssey skips first course correction
A spacecraft heading to Mars will skip its first planned flight path adjustment because of the accuracy of its launch trajectory, NASA said. The 2001 Mars Odyssey, which blasted off from Earth on April 7, was the first NASA probe launched to Mars since two were lost in 1999.
April 9th, 2001
Mars mission lifts off
The latest mission to Mars by the American space agency, Nasa, has taken off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Everything went smoothly as the Delta rocket lifted off on schedule carrying Mars Odyssey.
April 9th, 2001
Mission to Mars fine so far Rocky Mountain News
The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft zipped past the moon at 7,300 mph Sunday in a trouble-free day that followed a nearly flawless launch. The Denver-built NASA spacecraft will be 350,000 miles from Earth by 9 a.m. today, coasting toward an October arrival at the red planet. “We have transitioned out of launch mode and into cruise mode, and everything looks excellent,” said James Neuman, head of the Lockheed Martin Astronautics team that is controlling the spacecraft from the company’s Waterton Canyon facility, southwest of Denver.
April 8th, 2001
Odyssey off to Mars Florida Today
NASA’s Mars Odyssey began its 286-million mile journey with a perfect launch Saturday morning, relieving many in the space agency who have longed for redemption since two Mars-bound robots were lost in 1999. The failures grounded the agency’s ambitious Mars plan while review boards scoured records and data for reasons. A rover slated to fly to Mars alongside Odyssey was axed, leaving Odyssey to make the trip solo.
April 7th, 2001
2001 Mars Odyssey Launch Information
Current launch status with links to information on viewing the launch, launch window details, launch events summaries, and even a launch simulation. Links are also provided to news sites that may have live Internet launch coverage.
April 7th, 2001
2001 Mars Odyssey Begins Soon
Space.com live coverage of the launch of 2001 Mars Odyssey. Up to the minute weather updates and a map showing best launch viewing sites in Florida are included. Launch countdown clock is ticking…