Odyssey Mars Orbiter – Thirteen Years of On-Orbit Navigation

Abstract: The Odyssey spacecraft has been in Mars orbit since October 24, 2001 and has nearly completed 61,490 orbits. Navigation operational objectives include the following: Control the local mean solar time for science observations; for most of the mission, this varied from 3:45 pm to 5:20 pm. Currently, an orbit trim maneuver planned for November 10, 2015 will place Odyssey at 6:45 pm/6:45 am at equator crossings in order to observe early morning ground frost, fog and clouds. Initially, Odyssey was…