Objectives

The scientific objectives of the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission are to:

1. globally map the elemental composition of the surface (Instrument: GRS);
2. determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface (Instrument: GRS);
3. acquire high spatial and spectral resolution images of the surface mineralogy (Instrument: THEMIS);
4. provide information on the morphology of the Martian surface (Instrument: THEMIS); and,
5. characterize the Martian near-space radiation environment as related to radiation-induced risk to human explorers (Instrument: MARIE);.

The three primary instruments carried by the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are:

THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System), for determining the distribution of minerals, particularly those that can only form in the presence of water;

GRS (Gamma Ray Spectrometer), for determinging the presence of 20 chemical elements on the surface of Mars, including hydrogen in the shallow subsurface (which acts as a proxy for determining the amount and distribution of possible water ice on the planet); and,

MARIE (Martian Radiation Environment Experiment), for studying the radiation environment.