Posted: Mon, Oct 2, 2006, 8:04 AM ET (1204 GMT)
A high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft has returned its first images of the Martian surface since the spacecraft entered its final orbit. The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on MRO transmitted those images, of a portion of Valles Marineris, on Friday, and project scientists said they were "elated" at the quality of the images. HiRISE is the most powerful camera ever placed in Mars orbit, capable of resolving objects as small as a couple of meters across. Use of the camera will be fairly limited through the month of October since Mars will be on the other side of the Sun from the Earth, limiting communications.

Related Links:

•  Tucson Citizen article
•  Arizona Republic article
•  SPACE.com article
•  AP article
•  NASA/JPL press release