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Mars Odyssey spacecraft over Mars' south pole, artwork. The yellow and copper instrument sticking out from the main body of the probe is the gamma ray spectrometer (GRS). Mars Odyssey is a NASA probe that was launched in April 2001 and reached Mars in October 2001. It uses spectrometers and thermal imaging systems to map Mars and look for evidence of past or present water on Mars. It also transmits much of the data sent from the surface by the two Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It is also being used in an extended mission to observe seasonal changes on Mars. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/NASA/JPL//SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)