Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter?Over 19 years as of November 2025, exceeding design life
2. What is the spacecraft type?Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
3. What is the launch vehicle?Atlas V 401
4. When did the MRO launch and arrive at Mars?It launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006.
5. How does the MRO find clues about water on Mars?Its cameras and radar look for riverbeds, deltas, and underground ice, and its spectrometer spots minerals that form with water.

Aerobraking: A maneuver that uses atmospheric drag to reduce a spacecraft's velocity and alter its orbit.
Spectroscopy: The study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, used to determine composition.
Regolith: A layer of loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock, including dust, soil, and broken rock.
Data Relay: The process of receiving data from one source and transmitting it to another, often over long distances.