The 2001 Mars Odyssey is a NASA orbiter that was launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket. It reached Mars at the end of October 2001 and entered orbit, and then used aerobraking to settle into its science orbit. Its instruments mapped the chemical elements and minerals of the planet's surface and detected large amounts of hydrogen near the poles, which was interpreted as water ice just below the surface. It has also served as the main relay for data from the Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix and Curiosity landers and rovers. It has operated far longer than planned and is the longest-serving spacecraft at Mars.
Before and after
- 24 March 2001Creation of macOS
- 29 March 2001Construction of Incheon International Airport
- from 30 March 2001 to 26 July 2017Premiere of The Fairly OddParents
- 4 April 2001Discovery of HD 28185 b
- 7 April 2001Launch of 2001 Mars Odyssey
- 22 April 2001Release of Shrek
- 11 May 2001Release of Italian Wikipedia
- 11 May 2001Release of Portuguese Wikipedia
- 11 May 2001Release of Japanese Wikipedia
More in Universe & space
- 16 February 1948Discovery of Miranda
- 4 March 1979Discovery of Metis
- 24 April 1990Launch of Hubble Space Telescope
- 1998Supernovae show that cosmic expansion is accelerating
- 10 April 2019The first image of a black hole
- 25 December 2021Launch of James Webb Space Telescope
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.