NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is laying the groundwork for future exploration of the Red Planet.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will carry on the work started by Mars Odyssey, Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express. It will study the surface, subsurface, and atmosphere of Mars and will also identify potential landing sites for future missions.

The orbiter carries a high-resolution camera that will focus in on areas of interest and any potential landing sites. A second camera will take wide-angle images that will help put the detail into context. Instruments will map the mineralogy of the surface and monitor the Martian atmosphere. A Radar will also scan beneath the surface to see if water or ice is hidden beneath the Martian crust. 

UK Involvement

The University of Oxford provided key components for the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) instrument, which will study the Martian atmosphere. Oxford scientists also helped to calibrate the MCS instrument and developed software to process, archive and display data that will be received from the spacecraft. For more details, click on the UK involvement map.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Links

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter homepage

University of Oxford's Planetary Space Experiments page

Nine Planets introduction to Mars