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This view of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft shows the science payload, located on the nadir panel of the spacecraft, which will always be pointed at the surface of Mars. The large silver cylinder at top center is the Mars Orbiter Camera, which will provide low resolution global coverage of the planet every day and high resolution images of selected regions of scientific interest. Just below the camera is a black box, which is the mass mockup for the Thermal Emission Spectrometer, which will analyze infrared radiation from the surface of Mars so that scientists can identify properties of Martian rocks and soils. The white cylinder with holes that is pointing off to the left is the celestial sensor assembly, a star tracker that will keep the spacecraft oriented in space. The large white pipe standing straight up in the center foreground of the picture is the Mars Relay antenna and the translucent box to its right is the radio frequency power amplifier, which is attached to the high-gain antenna blanketed in a silver cover to the right. A white electronics box sits just to the left of the Mars Relay antenna and will be used to power the Magnetometer. The Magnetometer is located at the bottom of the solar array in lower foreground, on top of a white triangular structure. The solar panels are 1.73 meters by 1.85 meters (68 inches by 73 inches) when fully deployed. Mars Global Surveyor is in development at the Lockheed Martin Astronautics Corp., Denver, which is NASA's industrial partner for the mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off on Nov. 6, 1996, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a two-year mission to study the Martian atmosphere, surface and interior. Mars Global Surveyor is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. ##### Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colorado.
Description
This view of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft shows the science payload, located on the nadir panel of the spacecraft, which will always be pointed at the surface of Mars. The large silver cylinder at top center is the Mars Orbiter Camera, which will provide low resolution global coverage of the planet every day and high resolution images of selected regions of scientific interest. Just below the camera is a black box, which is the mass mockup for the Thermal Emission Spectrometer, which will analyze infrared radiation from the surface of Mars so that scientists can identify properties of Martian rocks and soils. The white cylinder with holes that is pointing off to the left is the celestial sensor assembly, a star tracker that will keep the spacecraft oriented in space. The large white pipe standing straight up in the center foreground of the picture is the Mars Relay antenna and the translucent box to its right is the radio frequency power amplifier, which is attached to the high-gain antenna blanketed in a silver cover to the right. A white electronics box sits just to the left of the Mars Relay antenna and will be used to power the Magnetometer. The Magnetometer is located at the bottom of the solar array in lower foreground, on top of a white triangular structure. The solar panels are 1.73 meters by 1.85 meters (68 inches by 73 inches) when fully deployed. Mars Global Surveyor is in development at the Lockheed Martin Astronautics Corp., Denver, which is NASA's industrial partner for the mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off on Nov. 6, 1996, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a two-year mission to study the Martian atmosphere, surface and interior. Mars Global Surveyor is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. ##### Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colorado.
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