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Mars explorer glides into perfect orbit

Pasadena (California): A U.S. spacecraft that scientists say could revolutionise the understanding of Mars has moved into a ``perfect'' orbit around the Red Planet, NASA said.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the most advanced mission ever sent to another planet, will circle the Red Planet for five years in search of water and life, sending back path-breaking data to Earth. ``This will rewrite the textbooks on Mars,'' said Jim Graf, project manager for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, cheered and applauded as the MRO, packed with an unprecedented high-tech array of instrumentation, completed its delicate deceleration into orbit on Friday.

``I am very relieved. It was perfect,'' said Mr. Graf. ``We couldn't have planned it better,'' he added, pointing out that the probe had reappeared from the dark side of Mars within a second of when it was expected. MRO's reappearance and its move into a smooth orbit was sent in a signal back to Earth and confirmed several minutes later by the NASA control centre.

The MRO mission to study the Mars surface is ``the most technologically advanced payload NASA has ever sent to another planet,'' according to Mr. Graf.

It carries six observation and analysis instruments to search for signs of water and ice from the planet's outer atmosphere to below the Martian surface. — AP

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