NASA’s Odyssey Marks 100,000 Orbits by Sharing Stunning Photo of Mars’ Olympus Mons Volcano

NASA's Odyssey made a milestone by making its 100,000 orbit around Mars on June 30.

Odyssey Just Made Its 100,000 Trips Around Mars

Odyssey made its 100,000th orbit on June 30, 23 years after NASA launched the robotic spacecraft. To commemorate the recent achievement, the US space agency released a stunning image of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system.

The orbiter obtained the shot using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), a heat-sensitive camera developed by Arizona State University in Tempe. However, obtaining a horizon view requires additional planning, as the camera is designed to look down at the surface.

The captured photo showcased a bluish-white band toward the bottom of the atmosphere, indicating how much dust was present at this place during that time. The red dust from the planet and a few bluish water-ice clouds probably caused the purplish layer above that. Lastly, a blue-green layer can be observed near the top of the picture, where water-ice clouds extend up to roughly 31 miles (50 kilometers).

Odyssey may use thrusters positioned all over the spacecraft to direct THEMIS toward various locations on the surface or even to slowly rotate over to see Phobos and Deimos, two of Mars' small moons.

The Odyssey crew is working to provide high-altitude views of the planet's horizon, and this image, obtained on March 11, is one aspect of their ongoing efforts. The first of these perspectives was released in late 2023. Thanks to this picture, scientists can learn more about clouds and dust in the air at Mars, which is similar to what Earthling astronauts see when they board the International Space Station.

According to Odyssey's project scientist Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which oversees the mission, they can see how large Olympus Mons looms over the landscape in a single image. Usually, they can only see Olympus Mons in narrow strips from above. Plaut said the picture was terrific and offered useful scientific information.

When captured across several seasons, the photographs provide a freeze frame of the dust and clouds and could also help scientists gain a deeper knowledge of the Martian atmosphere.

Water Frost Observed on Mars

In a recent study, researchers noticed water frost on top of the Olympus Mons. The frost only lasted briefly before it evaporated after daylight. However, it was an exciting discovery as it was the first time water frost was seen near the Red Planet's equator.

The study found that because of the high temperatures, frost only lasts a few hours after daybreak before being dissolved by the sun's rays. It is crucial to remember that, even though frost only makes up a thin layer that is about the diameter of a human hair, 150,000 tons of water are thought to cycle every day between the atmosphere and the surface.

The crew discovered frost deposits inside the volcano's caldera. These hollows were formed when past eruptions broke through the crust through these vents at the volcano's summit. The thin layers of frost that build up on volcano peaks are thought to be caused by specific microclimates.

Check out more news and information on Mars in Science Times.