Orbiter sends picture of dust storm on Mars

September 30, 2014 08:16 am | Updated November 16, 2021 05:45 pm IST - Bangalore

Image courtesy: ISRO

Image courtesy: ISRO

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) on Monday sent a picture of regional dust storm activities over the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

“Regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of Mars - captured by Mars Colour Camera on-board Mars Orbiter Mission”, ISRO said.

It said the image was taken at an altitude of 74,500 kms from the surface of Mars. MOM spacecraft had sent its first images of the planet on Thursday, a day after creating history by becoming the only such endeavour so far to have met with success on the maiden attempt.

MOM aims to study the Martian surface and mineral composition and scan its atmosphere for methane, an indicator of life.

The spacecraft is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track methane or marsh gas, a colour camera and a thermal-imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the planet.

The orbiter will keep moving in an elliptical path for at least six months.

The spacecraft was launched on its nine-month-long odyssey on a PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, last year. It had escaped the Earth’s gravitational field on December 1 and was placed in the Martian orbit on September 24.

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