The world applauded India last week as its maiden interplanetary spacecraft – the Mars Orbiter Mission, or MOM – achieved orbit around the Red Planet. Here are some of the first images transmitted from MOM. At top, a gorgeous shot of the limb, or edge, of Mars with the tenuous Martian atmosphere silhouetted against the blackness of space. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), India’s space agency, released this image on September 25, 2014, about a day after MOM arrived.
ISRO announced that MOM successfully entered into an orbit around planet Mars on September 24, 2014 at 7:30 a.m. India Standard Time (02:00 UTC; 20:00 EDT in the U.S. on September 23). MOM carries five instrument suite whose mission is to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars with a particular emphasis on measuring the methane in the Martian atmosphere: a key indicator of microbial life.
Above is another beauty from MOM, acquired on September 28, 2014.
The Schiaparelli Basin (460 kilometers / 286 miles wide) is visible just below right, of dead center. To the left is the Meridiani Terra with Meridiani Planum where NASA’s Opportunity rover is still operating almost flawlessly after 10 years on Mars.
Oxia Palus is clearly visible as is Chryse Planitia where the Viking 1 lander touched down in July 1976 and also the Ares Vallis, where the Mars Pathfinder successfully landed in July 1997.
Syrtis Major is visible towards the right limb.
Bottom line: Here are some early images from India’s MOM spacecraft. One shows the limb of Mars, with its tenuous atmosphere above. The other shows the whole planet, with a dust storm visible in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Beautiful!
Andrew R. Brown, an avid follower of the space program, writes frequently about space topics for EarthSky. Over several years, he has also suggested observations that were carried out by imaging teams of some space missions. He has lives in Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom and works for local government, Kent County Council.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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