\n<\/p>\n
Chances are that you\u2019ve seen images of Earth from space, thanks to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station<\/em> (ISS), who regularly share stunning photos of our planet. These images provide us regularly with breathtaking views of cities, oceans, storms, eruptions, clouds, the curvature of the planet, and the way the atmosphere glows against the horizon. Thanks to NASA\u2019s Mars Odyssey Orbiter<\/em>, which has been in orbit for over 22 years, we now have an equally breathtaking view of Mars from orbit that captured what its curvature and atmosphere look like from space.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The images were taken back in May when the orbiter was at an altitude of 400 km (250 mi) above the surface, the same altitude that the ISS orbits Earth. The spacecraft took ten pictures in total, which were stitched together to create a panoramic image showing the curving Martian landscape below a hazy layer of dust and clouds, as well as Mars\u2019 smaller satellite Phobos. The THEMIS camera is ideally suited to capturing what\u2019s happening in Mars\u2019 atmosphere, as its sensitivity to infrared (heat) enables it to map ice, rock, sand, dust, and temperature changes on the planet\u2019s surface. <\/p>\n Because THEMIS is fixed to the bottom of the orbiter, adjusting the camera\u2019s angle requires that the entire spacecraft be reoriented. In this case, the team needed to rotate the orbiter about 90 degrees while making sure the solar panels were still pointed at the right angle so they could continue to draw power from the Sun. At the same time, they had to ensure that the orbiter\u2019s sensitive instruments would not overheat. This included the THEMIS camera itself since external heat would cause extreme interference with its readings.<\/p>\n \n