Posted by tourdemars to Reconnaissance Orbiter at July 12, 2004 02:27 PM

When it enters its final path around the red planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be closer to the martian surface than any other orbiter has ever gone. This closeness will enable the orbiter to get more detailed images than ever before from above the planet's surface, and its sophisticated suite of science instruments will reveal much more about Mars and its water history. It will also become the first link in a communications bridge back to Earth, an "interplanetary internet" that can be used by numerous international spacecraft in coming years.