NASA has fixed the orbit of its Mars Global Surveyor so that the probe can
spend the summer taking photographs of Martian scenery, including the
controversial “Face on Mars”, spotted by the Viking mission more than twenty
years ago. Other targets include the Mars Pathfinder and Viking lander sites.
The spacecraft’s elliptical 11.6-hour orbit ranges from 170 to 18 000 kilometres
above the surface, and takes it above each target about three times every month.
In September, NASA will begin to move the probe again to take it into close
circular orbit by March 1999.
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
3
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
4
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
5
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
6
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
7
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
8
Putting CO2 into rocks and getting hydrogen out is climate double win
9
Colossal claims an artificial eggshell will help it bring back the moa
10
The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert
