- NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been observing Mars since 2005. It has helped revolutionize our data concerning the purple planet.
- The spacecraft typically “rolls over” in its orbit by various levels so it could actually level its completely different devices on the Martian floor.
- The orbiter has now rolled over by a whopping 120 levels in its newest maneuver. This may assist its onboard radar to see deeper into the subsurface to search for water ice and even liquid water.
Mars orbiter rolls round to search for water
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been learning the purple planet since late 2005. And now, it’s attempting one thing new. Researchers from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and different establishments mentioned on June 26, 2025, that the orbiter is performing a brand new roll maneuver – as much as 120 levels – so the spacecraft is actually the wrong way up. Why is it doing this? The rolling maneuver will assist the orbiter look deeper beneath the floor with its SHARAD radar instrument for water ice or maybe even liquid water.
MRO can peer into the shallow subsurface of Mars, as much as a couple of mile deep. With the brand new rolling maneuver, will probably be in a position to look a bit deeper and procure clearer radar pictures.
The researchers printed their peer-reviewed findings in The Planetary Science Journal on June 11, 2025.
Educating an previous spacecraft new methods
Within the new maneuver, MRO rolls over so it’s principally the wrong way up. The method concerned three rolls, which the spacecraft carried out between 2023 and 2024. Gareth Morgan on the Planetary Science Institute is an writer on the brand new paper and mentioned:
Not solely are you able to educate an previous spacecraft new methods, you may open up completely new areas of the subsurface to discover by doing so.
Reid Thomas, MRO’s venture supervisor at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, added:
We’re distinctive in that all the spacecraft and its software program are designed to allow us to roll on a regular basis.
MRO was designed with with the ability to do such maneuvers in thoughts. It might roll as much as 30 levels in any path. This helps it level its cameras and different devices at options of curiosity, comparable to craters, potential touchdown websites for different spacecraft and extra. And it makes use of its radar to seek for subsurface ice and liquid water.
This animation depicts how Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter performs its 120-degree roll maneuvers. Video by way of NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
An advanced course of
Rolling the spacecraft would possibly sound easy, but it surely isn’t. There are a number of working science devices on MRO. All of them have completely different necessities by way of how they’re pointed at Mars’ floor. When one instrument is pointed for observations, which means the opposite devices should not as ideally suited to their very own observations. MRO can roll to make use of any of the devices however not all of the devices on the similar time.
With this in thoughts, NASA plans every roll weeks prematurely. An algorithm instructions the spacecraft to roll for a specific instrument, as wanted. It additionally instructions the spacecraft’s photo voltaic arrays to rotate and monitor the solar and its high-gain antenna to trace Earth. This permits MRO to take care of energy and communications.
Generally, MRO has to carry out even bigger rolls, as much as 120 levels. This requires much more planning forward of time.
Peering deep underground with Mars orbiter
MRO makes use of its Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument to see deep underground on Mars, from about 1/2 mile to only over a mile (.8 to 1.6 km). It’s designed to have the ability to seek for ice, and even liquid water, and distinguish it from rock and sand. However SHARAD isn’t excellent. SHARAD makes use of two antennas which can be mounted on the again of the orbiter. This enables the Excessive-Decision Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) digital camera as clear a view as doable on the entrance of MRO.
The one drawback is that different components of the orbiter can intervene with the radio indicators that SHARAD sends to the Martian floor. This can lead to much less clear radar pictures. Additionally, typically the mission group needs to take a look at targets with SHARAD which can be a bit too deep under the floor. Morgan mentioned:
The SHARAD instrument was designed for the near-subsurface, and there are choose areas of Mars which can be simply out of attain for us. There’s a lot to be gained by taking a more in-depth take a look at these areas.
Clearer radar pictures
That is the place the rolling is available in. By rolling MRO as much as 120 levels, the radio waves can extra simply attain the floor. This makes the sign about 10 instances stronger, which means clearer radar pictures and with the ability to see a little bit deeper.
The rolls have their very own drawbacks, too, although. Through the rolls, the communications antenna is just not pointed towards Earth. And the photo voltaic arrays can’t monitor the solar. With this in thoughts, and the planning wanted, the spacecraft solely performs these giant rolls a few instances per 12 months. In addition they require a variety of battery energy. Thomas mentioned:
The very giant rolls require a particular evaluation to verify we’ll have sufficient energy in our batteries to securely do the roll.
Mars Local weather Sounder
SHARAD isn’t the one instrument to profit from MRO’s rolling functionality. As well as, the Mars Local weather Sounder instrument does as nicely. It’s a radiometer that research Mars’ ambiance, climate and local weather.
The instrument pivots on a gimbal. This manner, it could actually get hold of views of the Martian horizon, floor and area. However in 2024, it turned unreliable with previous age (20 years now in Mars orbit!). So now it makes use of MRO’s commonplace rolling maneuvers to compensate for that in its observations. As Mars Local weather Sounder’s interim principal investigator, Armin Kleinboehl at JPL, famous:
Rolling used to limit our science, however we’ve integrated it into our routine planning, each for floor views and calibration.
Backside line: A NASA Mars orbiter – Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – is attempting out a brand new maneuver to assist it discover ice and liquid water beneath Mars’ floor.
Through Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Through Planetary Science Institute
Learn extra: Wonderful photographs in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebration
Learn extra: NASA orbiter spots Curiosity rover making tracks on Mars
