What is the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter?
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a $720 million USD spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin under the supervision of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the purpose of orbiting Mars, mapping its surface in great detail, and studying the Martian climate, weather, atmosphere, and geology. The craft was launched 12 August 2005, on board an Atlas V booster, and took approximately seven months to make the trip to Mars, entering low Mars orbit on 10 March 2006. In November 2006, it started making its primary observations. It will continue those observations until November 2008, when it may be granted a mission extension for good behavior. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is one among five other spacecraft on or orbiting Mars. The others are the Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express, Mars Odyssey, and two Mars Exploration Rovers. All of these except for the Mars Express, which was sent by the European Space Agency, are the property of NASA. Part of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s mission is to id
