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''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' (''MRO'') is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin under the supervision of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission is managed by the California Institute of Technology, at the JPL, in La Cañada Flintridge, California, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. It was launched August 12, 2005, and attained Martian orbit on March 10, 2006. In November 2006, after five months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase. As MRO entered orbit, it joined five other active spacecraft which were either in orbit or on the planet's surface: ''Mars Global Surveyor'', ''Mars Express'', ''2001 Mars Odyssey'', and the two Mars Exploration Rovers (''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity''); at the time, this set a record for the most operational spacecraft in the immediate vicinity of Mars. ''Mars Global Surveyor'' and the ''Spirit'' rover have since ceased to function; the remainder remain operational as of July 2015. MRO contains a host of scientific instruments such as cameras, spectrometers, and radar, which are used to analyze the landforms, stratigraphy, minerals, and ice of Mars. It paves the way for future spacecraft by monitoring Mars' daily weather and surface conditions, studying potential landing sites, and hosting a new telecommunications system. MRO's telecommunications system will transfer more data back to Earth than all previous interplanetary missions combined, and MRO will serve as a highly capable relay satellite for future missions.〔 == Pre-launch == One of two missions considered for the 2003 Mars launch window, the MRO proposal lost against what became known as the Mars Exploration Rovers. The orbiter mission was rescheduled for launch in 2005,〔 and NASA announced its final name, ''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'', on October 26, 2000.〔 MRO is modeled after NASA's highly successful ''Mars Global Surveyor'' to conduct surveillance of Mars from orbit. Early specifications of the satellite included a large camera to take high resolution pictures of Mars. In this regard, Jim Garvin, the Mars exploration program scientist for NASA, proclaimed that MRO would be a "microscope in orbit".〔 The satellite was also to include a visible-near-infrared spectrograph. On October 3, 2001, NASA chose Lockheed Martin as the primary contractor for the spacecraft's fabrication.〔 By the end of 2001 all of the mission's instruments were selected. There were no major setbacks during MRO's construction, and the spacecraft was moved to John F. Kennedy Space Center on May 1, 2005 to prepare it for launch.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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