Probe reveals Mars in new light

PASADENA, Calif., March 1 (UPI) -- An abundance of hydrogen, the first look at Mars by night and tantalizing glimpses of mineral deposits in the planet's crust are among the first observations of a new space probe that after just two weeks has raised scientists' expectations of what will be coming over the next two years.

Mars Odyssey began returning science data on Feb. 19 after flight controllers spent months tweaking the probe's orbit to settle it into the desired altitude for an extensive mapping mission.

The probe's first observations, unveiled with glowing reports by scientists on Friday, demonstrated the craft's ability to sharply image Mars by its heat emissions, giving scientists a new powerful tool to look for underground liquid water, determine if any volcanoes are still active and probe the planet's craters, rocks, dust and surface features.

Another instrument can chart minerals by looking at gamma ray emissions and neutrons, which are released as energy when cosmic rays and other space radiation strikes the planet's surface.

"I really didn't think I'd have much to say when we were planning this meeting because the boom (that the instrument is attached to) has not been extended yet," said University of Arizona scientist William Boynton, principal investigator for Mars Odyssey's Gamma Ray Spectrometer.

"But the signal we're getting is loud and clear: there is a lot of ice on Mars," he said.

Gauging from the surface temperatures determined by the thermal camera, scientists have concluded that the hydrogen detected by the gamma ray instrument is frozen in ice, rather than in liquid water.

However, as the instrument's sensitivity is enhanced as it is moved way from the spacecraft by a telescoping pole, and as the probe circles over warmer parts of the planet, liquid water deposits may be easier to find.

The only disappointment from Mars Odyssey is the failure of its radiation-monitoring instrument, a NASA-Johnson Space Center investigation to obtain preliminary data on how much dangerous radiation astronauts traveling to Mars might be exposed to.

The instrument, called MARIE, was working during the six-month cruise to the planet, but failed in August. Efforts to revive the experiment so far have been fruitless.

"We're tried most of the easy things to get MARIE working again, but we have not run out of things to try," said Mars Odyssey project scientist Stephen Saunders, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.