NASA Mars Odyssey Mission Status Report 10 March 2009

PASADENA, Calif. — The team operating NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter postponed a planned rebooting of the spacecraft this morning after seeing an unexpected rise in the temperature of a star camera that is part of the navigation system.

Based on its analysis, the team has concluded that the star camera and the spacecraft are safe in the precautionary standby mode they have entered as a preparation for the reboot.

Odyssey Project Manager Philip Varghese of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory directed the team to hold off on the computer reboot until the rise in temperature is better understood.

A new schedule has not been set yet.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages Mars Odyssey for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. Additional information about Odyssey is at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/odyssey .