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This undated artistic rendering from NASA shows the 2001 Mars Odyssey probe orbiting Mars. NASA launched the Odyssey probe from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 07 April 2001, sending it on a 460 million-kilometer (286 million-mile) journey toward the Red Planet, which it is due to begin orbiting in October. If all goes well on its 400-million USD (443-million Euros), three-year mission, the Odyssey will transmit information on the presence of water on Mars and the geological composition of its surface back home, and help NASA plan future missions. In addition to thermal mapping, Odyssey will act as a "virtual shovel" and dig into the planet's crust to analyse Mars' hydrogen content, to measure permanent ground ice and how it changes with the seasons. (KEYSTONE/- PHOTO/AFP/NASA)