"Flight controllers for NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft report the martian radiation environment experiment began gathering science data today after their troubleshooting efforts successfully reestablished communications with the instrument."

Initial science data from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which began its mapping mission last week, portend some tantalizing findings by the newest Martian visitor, including possible identification of significant amounts of frozen water. Initial measurements by the gamma-ray spectrometer instrument suite show the presence of significant amounts of hydrogen in the south polar region of Mars. The high hydrogen content is most likely due to water ice, though the amount of ice cannot be quantified yet. Further analysis will be conducted to confirm the interpretation.

"NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft has now entered the main aerobraking phase of the mission. "

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 -120°C (-184°F).

"NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft took its first thermal infrared temperature image of Mars at approximately 1300 Universal time (5 a.m. Pacific time) today. The imaging team at Arizona State University, Tempe will process the data over the next couple of days and hopes to release the image later this week."

"NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has delayed its first photo shoot of the Red Planet until at least Tuesday after scientists decided to slow the spacecraft's entry into the atmosphere, a mission official said Sunday."

The United States returned to Mars tonight as NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey fired its main engine at 7:26 p.m. Pacific time and was captured into orbit around the red planet. At 7:55 p.m. Pacific time, flight controllers at the Deep Space Network station in Goldstone, Calif., and Canberra, Australia, picked up the first radio signal from the spacecraft as it emerged from behind the planet Mars.

"This morning, flight controllers for NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully tested the ability of the high-gain communications antenna to send and receive commands. Since launch, the spacecraft has been receiving commands over its low-gain antenna and transmitting signals via its medium-gain antenna. Today's test showed the high-gain antenna is working well, and engineers will begin using that link regularly at the end of the month."

"The spacecraft is in excellent condition and back in its normal operating mode," said David A. Spencer, Odyssey's mission manager at JPL. "We are looking into the possibility that intensified solar activity may have affected data in the on-board memory." The affected data in the computer memory is believed to be the cause of the computer reset that happened Tuesday morning. Preliminary data analysis indicates that a reset of the on-board flight computer caused the entry into "safe mode." The spacecraft returned to normal operations Wednesday morning. "

"Due to a favorable launch trajectory on Saturday, flight controllers for Mars Odyssey have decided that they can postpone the first maneuver to fine-tune the spacecraft's flight path. All systems on the spacecraft are in excellent health."

"Success of the Denver-built Mars probe set for launch Saturday would help restore Lockheed Martin's tarnished image and strengthen its position in a competition to build NASA's next Mars orbiter."

Editor's note: word has it that two minor concerns have arisen in the final days before the launch of 2001 Mars Odyssey:

"The launch of NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey is scheduled for Saturday, April 7, at 11:02 a.m. EDT. Liftoff will occur aboard a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Space Launch Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. A second launch opportunity exists thirty minutes later at 11:32 a.m., if necessary. Should launch be delayed by 24 hours, the two launch times available on Sunday are 10:29 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. EDT. The planetary launch window extends through April 27. "

"Set for launch April 7 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Odyssey is NASA's first mission to Mars since the loss of two spacecraft in 1999. Other than our Moon, Mars has attracted more spacecraft exploration attempts than any other object in the solar system, and no other planet has proved as daunting to success. Of the 30 missions sent to Mars by three countries over 40 years, fewer than one-third have been successful. "