MarCO Orbiter
MarCO, short for Mars Cube One, was the first interplanetary mission to use a class of mini-spacecraft called CubeSats
MarCO, short for Mars Cube One, was the first interplanetary mission to use a class of mini-spacecraft called CubeSats
The shape of 2001 Mars Odyssey is anything but uniform, but its size can most easily be visualized by mentally placing the spacecraft inside of a box. Pictured this way, the box would measure 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) long, 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) tall and 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wide. At launch Odyssey weighed 725.0 kilograms (1598.4 pounds), including the 331.8-kilogram (731.5-pound) dry spacecraft with all of its subsystems, 348.7 kilograms (768.8 pounds) of fuel and 44.5 kilograms (98.1 pounds) of instruments.
The framework of the spacecraft is composed mostly of aluminum and some titanium. The use of titanium, a lighter and more expensive metal, is an efficient way of conserving mass while retaining strength. Odyssey's metal structure is similar to that used in the construction of high-performance and fighter aircraft.
Most systems on the spacecraft are fully redundant. This means that, in the event of a device failure, there is a backup system to compensate. The main exception is a memory card that collects imaging data from the thermal emission imaging system.
| Size: | When stowed for launch the MarCOs occupy six (CubeSat) units, or about the size of a briefcase. One CubeSat unit is a box roughly 4 inches (10 centimeters) square. The actual dimensions are 14.4 x 9.5 x 4.6 inches (36.6 x 24.3 x 11.8 centimeters) |
| Deep Space Communication: | Flat-panel X-band antenna reflectarry that works like a parabolic dish |
| Deep Space Navigation: | Iris, a new miniaturized X-band transponder compatible with the Deep Space Network, can transmit 8 kbps from Mars and also do radiometric navigation |
| Micro-Propulsion System: | Compressed R236FA gas, commonly used in fire extinguishers and Eight thrusters for trajectory adjustments and to desaturate the reaction wheels |
| Attitude Control System: | A star tracker for fine orientation, Sun sensors for course orientation, Gyroscopes to sense rotation speed and Three-axis reaction wheels that adjust orientation |