November 1, 2001 |
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NASA's Vision
Read NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin's welcome letter, bio and speeches. Search NASA's Web Search Options Need help? Navigating NASA's Strategic Enterprises
NASA for Kids More About NASA: Do you dream of exploring space or working for NASA? If so, avoid black holes and drugs. You decide. |
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NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey gave mission managers a real treat this Halloween
with its first look at the Red Planet. It's a thermal infrared image of the
Martian southern hemisphere that captures the polar carbon dioxide ice cap at
a temperature of about minus 120°C (minus 184°F). The spacecraft first
entered orbit around Mars last week after a six-month, 285 million-mile journey.
The image, taken as part of the calibration process for the instrument, shows
the nighttime temperatures of Mars, demonstrating the "night-vision" capability
of the camera system to observe Mars, even when the surface is in darkness. (
