Another Step in Mars Exploration:The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Mars

The Planetary Society, an education outreach partner with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission team, congratulates the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the successful orbit insertion this afternoon.

Louis Friedman, the Society's Executive Director said, "Three orbiters now at Mars that's a first for any organization. Congratulations, JPL!" He added, "MRO has some exciting days ahead of it, aerobraking into its final orbit, but getting there was half the battle and we look forward to a great mission."

MRO will give the highest resolution images of the surface of Mars, seeing objects down to tens of centimeters in size. It will give a whole new look at the composition of the surface using the near infrared, and it will study the subsurface with radar.

Also, the Mars Climate Sounder instrument will perform the first long-term three-dimensional study of the key properties of the Martian atmosphere, including dust, clouds, water, pressure, and temperature. The Planetary Society, an education outreach partner on Mars Climate Sounder, has created the website for the instrument, providing the public with a wealth of accessible information about its findings.

"Every new look at Mars has been full of surprises," said Friedman. "We are slowly building a picture of a new world for humankind."