MRO Launch A Success

Friday, August 12 2005 @ 09:48 AM EDT

NASA News Briefs and Releases BBSNews 2005 Compiled by Kandy Ringer

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Launched NASA via BBSNews - 2005-08-12 -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla at 7:43:00 a.m EDT on Aug 12. The spacecraft launched from Space Launch Complex 41 aboard NASA's first Atlas V rocket. The MRO is healthy and performing as designed, presently communicating with ground stations and unfurling its solar arrays. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter lifts off from Florida. Credit: NASA/KSC The image shown above in its full size is available here. More NASA images are available in BBSNews NASA Photos. The spacecraft now begins its journey to Mars. The MRO's 'cruise phase' to the planet takes 7 months, followed by 6 months spent refining its orbit using a technique known as 'aerobraking'. During the initial cruise phase, controllers plan to test the satellite's instruments and begin preparations to slow it using the atmosphere of Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's mission is to see if long-standing bodies of water ever existed on the planet. While missions like the Mars Exploration Rovers have shown that water once flowed across the planet's surface, scientists are yet to determine if it was around long enough to provide a habitat for life. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit: NASA Home. For information about the MRO Mission on the Internet, visit: MRO Main. ###

Comments (0)

BBSNews
http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20050812094835273