Odyssey Nudged Back to Witness Curiosity Landing on Mars

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has successfully adjusted its orbital location to be in a better position to provide prompt confirmation of the August landing of the Curiosity rover on the red planet.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft carrying Curiosity can transfer limited information directly to Earth as it enters Mars' atmosphere. Before landing Earth will set below the Martian horizon from the descending spacecraft's perspective, ending that direct route of communication.

It was July 11 that Odyssey that was to provide real time communication link with Curiosity, had entered safe mode. This situation would have affected communication operations, but not the rover's landing. Without a repositioning maneuver, Odyssey would have arrived over the landing area about two minutes after Curiosity landing.

Odyssey was nudged about six minutes ahead in its orbit by a spacecraft thruster burn Tuesday. Odyssey now is operating normally, and Curiosity's landing is expected onMars at about 10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5, as originally planned.

"Information we are receiving indicates the maneuver has been completed as planned," said Gaylon McSmith, Mars Odyssey project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, Calif. "Odyssey has been working at Mars longer than any other spacecraft, so it is appropriate that it has a special role in supporting the newest arrival."

Two other Mars orbiters, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the European Space Agency's Mars Express, also will be in position to receive radio transmissions from MSL during its descent. However, they will be recording information for later playback. Only Odyssey can relay information immediately.