Mars Reconnaissance Orbital (MRO) is a Spaceship that was designed to perform a diver’s functions in the course of its revolution around Mars. Some of the duties it was meant to perform were: observation, investigation, and exploration of the planet Mars while orbiting. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbital is prided to be the most equipped Spaceship found within Mars. The Planetary Society stated that,
“The initial design of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter comprised of an extensive camera with a characteristic feature of high resolution necessary for clear Martian pictures. It is upon this feature of high-resolution cameras that, Jim Garvin, the Mars exploration program scientist for NASA, dubbed the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to be a ‘microscope in orbit’. Visible – near-infrared spectrograph was still to be incorporated within the components of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter” (The Planetary Society 1).
The desire to identify the most suitable location for landing for future explorations on Mars gave rise to the development of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was scheduled to offer a two-year service. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was equipped with meteorological devices, aimed at collecting climate data, and identifying the possible presence of water on Mars. According to science daily,
“The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter served a very crucial purpose in determining the landing site of the Phoenix Lander, whose area of interest/study was the Martian Arctic in Green Valley. Covered with boulders, the original site selected by scientists as photographed by the HiRISE camera, was abandoned for the more preferable THEMIS. Yet still, it is projected that the landing site for Mars Science Laboratory which is a rover of great dynamic potential, would be established shortly via the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter” (Science Daily 1).
After the successful launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, on the 29th Sep 2009, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recorded its first success of taking images of very high resolutions, which it was believed helped in the determination of very small elements of about three feet in size. Detailed pictures of the Victoria Crater from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter were on the 6th Oct 2006 displayed by NASA, and the following discoveries were made: the amount of ice water in the ice cap was measured, ice was discovered in new craters that were exposed, and ice was also found in Lobate debris aprons, some amount of chloride deposits, presence of aqueous minerals, avalanches, and other space crafts. Some challenges were encountered with two of the devices mounted on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in November. This was revealed through changes that were not expected in the Mar Climate Sounder, making it impossible to see some creatures from outer space. The second difficulty that was experienced was a sharp and sensitive noise, resulting in poor quality images of the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). The HiRISE consistently has made available images that have enhanced outer space discoveries. As recorded in the Mars Stathopoulos that,
“The most striking of them being the proclamation of banded terrain features which led many scientists hypothesize that within the immediate geological history of Mars there may have been liquid carbon (IV) oxide or water on the surface of ” (Mars Stathopoulos 1).
The HiRISE installed in the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has shown over time that, it is of great importance in the observation of movements round the orbit.
Works Cited
Science Daily. “NASA’s prolific mars reconnaissance orbiter reaches five year mark”. 2011. Web.
Stathopoulos. “Mars reconnaissance orbiter”. 2011.
The planetary society. “Space topics: Mars reconnaissance orbiter”. 2011. Web.