Presence of salt on Mars adds new evidence for possible life

William Atkins
Friday, 21 March 2008 20:01

Science - Space

The robotic spacecraft currently orbits Mars. It was launched on April 7, 2001 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a Delta II rocket.
The spacecraft reached an orbit about Mars on October 24, 2001. It began its science-based mission on February 19, 2002.

Its mission has recently been extended by NASA  to at least September 2008.

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft was named after the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who just recently died.

Its name is a tribute to the futuristic mind of Clarke, a pioneering writer in the popularizing of space travel and exploration.

For additional information about the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission, visit NASA Odyssey.

More information about the THEMIS camera is found at NASA THEMIS.