NASA designed a multipurpose spacecraft MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) to study the features of the Mars. It had to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from its orbit.
It was launched on 12th August, 2005 and attained Martian orbit on March 10, 2006. The major goals were to map the Martian landscape in order to choose landing sites for future surface missions.
It was a multi gadget spacecraft, which contained various project related instruments:
- HIRISE (camera)
- CTX (camera)
- MARCI (camera)
- CRISM (spectrometer)
- MCS (spectrometer)
- SHARAD (radar)
With the help of all these vital instruments MRO succeeded to choose the landing sites for future surface missions, which were explored earlier in the Martian Arctic Green Valley.
Finally, this NASA’s project showed:
- Water ice in ice cap measured
- Ice exposed in new craters
- Lobate debris aprons are mostly water ice were discovered
- Most places on Mars show inverted relief
- Widespread deposits of chloride minerals were founded
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