NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), active for 19 years, has been updated to perform a 120-degree roll, enhancing the functionality of the Shallow Radar (SHARAD). This maneuver allows SHARAD to penetrate deeper into Mars' surface, identifying materials critical for future missions, such as ice. The rolls, however, are risky, requiring careful power management due to their size, limiting the team to only a few per year. This innovative technique strengthens radar signals, enabling clearer subsurface imaging of Mars.
The very large rolls require a special analysis to make sure we'll have enough power in our batteries to safely do the roll.
By rolling the spacecraft, MRO can enable SHARAD to have an uninterrupted view of the surface, strengthening the radar signal by ten times or more.
Collection
[
|
...
]