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NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft passes above Mars' south pole in this artist's concept illustration. The spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since October 24, 2001.

Mars Odyssey All Stars: Arabia Dunes. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Mars Impact Crater Gratteri. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University

Meridiani Planum. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University

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NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft passes above Mars' south pole in this artist's concept illustration. The spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since October 24, 2001. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars Odyssey All Stars: Arabia Dunes. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Mars Impact Crater Gratteri. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University

Meridiani Planum. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University

Mission name: Mars Odyssey

Mars Odyssey

Mars Odyssey provides detailed maps of Mars that are used to determine the evolution of the Mars environment and its potential for life.

Launch Date April 06, 2001
Arrival Date October 23, 2001
Mission TypeOrbiter
TargetMars

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Mission Overview
NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter arrived at Mars in 2001 to detect water and shallow buried ice on Mars and to study the planet’s radiation environment. Odyssey is part of the Mars Exploration Program’s long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet

Relevance to Astrobiology
Odyssey has provided global maps of chemical elements and minerals that make up the martian surface. Maps of hydrogen distribution led to the discovery of vast amounts of water ice buried just beneath the surface of Mars’ polar regions.

Mars Odyssey also acts as a relay for communications between other NASA missions at Mars relevant to astrobiology, including the rovers Opportunity and Curiosity.

NASA Astrobiology Involvement
Astrobiologists supported by the Astrobiology Program were directly involved in the development of the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument onboard Mars Odyssey. Visible and infrared observations by THEMIS are used to identify the distribution of minerals on Mars, allowing astrobiologists to study how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the landforms.

Astrobiologists also use data from Mars Odyssey to study the geochemical makeup of Mars. This information is useful for studying the evolution of Mars’ environment, identifying locations that may have been habitable for life in the past, and finding astrobiology-relevant landing sites for future Mars missions.

The Astrobiologists
NAI Arizona State University Team member Phil Christensen is the PI of the THEMIS instrument on this mission. Research by Christensen, Jack Farmer, Mikhail Zolotov and others into geochemical scenarios accounting for observed Mars mineralogy aids in interpreting data from this and other Mars missions.

Mission news and discoveries

Odyssey over Mars' South Pole. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Mars Fleet Will Still Conduct Science While Lying Low (NASA)November 13, 2023

25 Years of Continuous Robotic Mars Exploration – From Pathfinder to Perseverance (NASA)September 13, 2022

Science at Sunrise: Solving the Mystery of Frost Hiding on Mars (NASA JPL)May 09, 2022

All News

Major mission findings

Overlay of water equivalent hydrogen abundances and a shade relief map derived from MOLA topography.

March 31, 2003Mapping Hydrogen

NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft provided maps that detail the distribution of water-equivalent hydrogen on Mars. Mass percents of water were determined from epithermal neutron counting rates using the Neutron Spectrometer aboard Mars Odyssey between February 2002 and April 2003.

Gale Crater, home to NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, shows a new face in this image made using data from the THEMIS camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.

November 14, 2003Mapping Chemicals and Minerals

Odyssey has mapped the chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martian surface, providing essential information about the martian environment and the potential for past or present life on the planet.

Mission Facts

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Mars Odyssey appears in Issue #2 of <em>Astrobiology: The History of Our Search for Life in the University</em>

In the late southern summer on Mars in 2003, the buried ice in the north was not visible due to the thick polar cap of carbon dioxide.

This global map of Mars shows the estimated radiation dosages from cosmic rays reaching the surface, a serious health concern for any future human exploration of the planet.

The story of an OdysseyMars Odyssey Illustrated

Mars Odyssey appears in Issue #2 of Astrobiology: The History of Our Search for Life in the University. Credit: NASA Astrobiology

Odyssey Instrument Package 1The Thermal Emission Imaging System

By looking at the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum, THEMIS is determining the distribution of minerals on the surface of Mars and helping scientists understand how the mineralogy of the planet relates to the landforms.

Odyssey Instrument Package 2Gamma Ray Spectrometer

The GRS uses the gamma-ray part of the spectrum to look for the presence of 20 elements from the periodic table (e.g., carbon, silicon, iron, magnesium, etc.). Its neutron detectors look for water and ice in the soil by measuring neutrons.

Odyssey Instrument Package 3Martian Radiation Experiment

The MARIE measured the radiation environment of Mars using an energetic particle spectrometer.

Explore other missions

This illustration depicts NASA's Juno spacecraft at Jupiter, with its solar arrays and main antenna pointed toward the distant sun and Earth.

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3D Model of the Viking Lander. Credit: Michael Carbajal. NASA Headquarters

ExploreViking 1 and 2