After an interplanetaryjourney lasting 200 days, the Mars Odyssey spacecraf hasentered orbit around the Red Planet.This latest success is welcome as in the past, Mars has often seemed adifficult planet to visit Beginning with the firstSoviet attempts in 1960, around 30 missions havetried while only 10 or so have gone without serious mishap.Now tha Mars Odysseyhas arrived, its immediate future will involv aerobraking.Cautiously dipping into th martian atmosphere, the spacecraft willgradually adjust its present wide and elliptical 20-hourorbit to a circular 2-hour orbit only 400 kilometers above th planet's surface.Then, its instruments an cameras will focus on exploringthe climate and geologic histor of Mars, including th search for waterand evidence of life-sustainin environments.In the artist's conception above, the spacecraft with wing-like solar panelsis imagined firing its rocket engine fo Mars orbit insertion over terrain seenin natural and false-color.
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