Mars Odyssey results

This afternoon there was a session on the newest results from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The visual and infrared images are stunning... it is possible to pick out individual rocks and the trails of dust devils in the visual-spectrum images (about 20m resolution). The data is fantastic... practically a new discovery in every image.

The infrared images show clearly different rock units and strata, as they absorb and release heat at material-dependent rates. And the early neutron spectrometer results show a lot of ice on Mars, at least above/below 60 degrees latitude. The radiation environmental monitoring experiment indicates that while the average human exposure on the surface of Mars wouldn't be any worse than being on the space station, it can be three times higher (on average, with worse spikes) during transit to/from. This will be a problem...

Mars Student Imaging Project

The THEMIS instrument on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft will take lots of images -- 50,000 or so over its lifetime. Students (ages 10-18) can now put together teams to propose a specific set of observations, effectively directing the spacecraft. And exploring. Look (here) for information.