JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.2 min read

Mars Odyssey Releases First Data Archive to Scientists

Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ Oct. 1, 2002
Odyssey image shows the "White Rock" feature on Mars in both infrared and visible wavelengths

This release is a major milestone for Mars scientists worldwide

NASA has released the first set of data taken by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft to the Planetary Data System, which will now make the information available to research scientists through a new online distribution and access system.

"This release is a major milestone for Mars scientists worldwide, since the first validated data from our instruments are now available to the entire scientific community," said Dr. R. Stephen Saunders, the Odyssey project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "There are fundamentally new kinds of information in these data sets, including day and night infrared images, maps of hydrogen in the soil, and radiation hazard data for future Mars missions."

The information includes the first six weeks of mapping data through the end of March, as well as the observations made during the cruise phase to Mars. The archive consists of formatted instrument data from the gamma-ray spectrometer and high-energy neutron spectrometer; Mars maps from the neutron detectors; about 800 visible and infrared images taken by the camera system; and radiation measurements from the Martian radiation environment experiment. New data will be released to the science community every three months.

The Odyssey data are available through a new online access system established by the Planetary Data System at: http://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/pds/

The Odyssey data release, coupled with the availability of this new system, marks a significant improvement in access to data from solar system exploration missions. Beginning today, validated data from all Odyssey instruments will be available for search and retrieval immediately upon delivery to the Planetary Data System.

The system will soon integrate data sets from all Mars missions so researchers can obtain all the data they need at a "one-stop shopping" Internet site. A guide to the Odyssey data sets can be found at the Planetary Data System Geosciences Node at: http://wufs.wustl.edu/missions/odyssey

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. Investigators at Arizona State University in Tempe, the University of Arizona in Tucson and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, operate the science instruments. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL.

Additional information about the 2001 Mars Odyssey is available on the Internet at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/
  • Caption page
  • Ganges Chasma
  • Becquerel crater
  • Odyssey home page

Media Contacts

Mary Hardin

(818) 354-0344

2002-185

Related News

Solar System.

NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers

Solar System.

NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid

Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier

Mars.

NASA’s Psyche Mission to Fly by Mars for Gravity Assist

Mars.

NASA Pushes Next-Gen Mars Helicopter Rotor Blades Past Mach 1

Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars

Mars.

NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars

Solar System.

NASA Shuts Off Instrument on Voyager 1 to Keep Spacecraft Operating

Asteroids and Comets.

NASA’s DART Mission Changed Orbit of Asteroid Didymos Around Sun

Mars.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Sees Martian ‘Spiderwebs’ Up Close

About JPL
Who We Are
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
JPL Annual Report
Executive Council
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Eyes on the News
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Accessibility at NASA
Contact Us
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
NASA Kids Science - Earth
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Version: v3.1.3 - 5e83a9a
Site Managers:Emilee Richardson, Alicia Cermak
Site Editors:Naomi Hartono, Steve Carney
CL#:21-0018