Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Features


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This image shows the planet Mars, with its polar ice cap face on. A diagonal blue line traces Phoenix's path from atmospheric entry (upper left) to landing site (center, near the pole). A green orbital line comes from below, showing the path of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A red orbital line comes from the right, showing the path of Mars Express. A purple line comes from the top, showing the path of Mars Odyssey. Along each of these three orbital paths are a plus sign and an x mark. The plus sign shows where each orbiter will be when Phoenix enters the atmosphere. The x marks the spot where each will be when Phoenix lands. All three converge around Phoenix's landing site.

Getting By with a Little Help from Friends

When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander prepares for landing on May 25, 2008, it won't be alone. Three spacecraft in orbit will serve as a welcome committee. One -- NASA's Mars Odyssey -- will send non-stop updates to Earth. The non-stop data stream is called a "bent-pipe transmission," in which radio signals flow continuously like water through a pipe. Phoenix will transmit data to Odyssey (the pipe "elbow"), and Odyssey will then relay it to NASA's Deep Space Network of antennas on Earth. Lasting for 15 minutes, the transmissions will begin before Phoenix enters the Martian atmosphere and end after it lands, giving the mission team a complete picture of every critical stage. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will store a continuous stream of data from Phoenix to send back later, and Europe's Mars Express will track Phoenix's descent too. With a little help from friends, Mars won't seem quite so remote!

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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