NASA鈥檚 biggest spacecraft destined for Mars is ready for launch. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) 鈥� the agency鈥檚 first Mars mission since the twin rovers landed on the Red Planet in January last year 鈥� is due to blast off on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 10 August. The behemoth stands two storeys high, is twice as wide, and weighs 2180 kilograms when fully fuelled.
When it starts observing Mars in November 2006, the MRO will be orbiting at an average altitude of about 300 kilometres, 25 per cent closer to the surface than the two NASA spacecraft that are currently circling the planet. From there it will be able to take high-resolution images over an area 10 times larger than previous surveys. And its communication antenna 鈥� the largest ever sent to Mars 鈥� will beam back more data than all previous missions combined. It will also scout out landing sites for future missions.
鈥淭he behemoth stands two storeys high, is twice as wide and weighs over 2 tonnes鈥�
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鈥淭he MRO is really the gateway to the future of Mars,鈥� says Jim Garvin, NASA鈥檚 chief scientist for the mission. 鈥淚t is a reconnaissance engine like no other we鈥檝e ever sent.鈥�
