Posted: Wed, Jun 5, 2002, 1:32 PM ET (1732 GMT)
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft deployed a boom with a major scientific instrument on the end of it Tuesday, mission managers reported. The 6.2-meter boom successfully extended from the body of the spacecraft on Tuesday at around 3 pm EDT (1900 GMT). On the end of the boom is the sensor head for the spacecraft's gamma-ray spectrometer. Placing the sensor far from the main body of the spacecraft minimizes interference from any gamma rays emanating from the spacecraft itself. With the boom fully deployed the sensitivity and accuracy of the spectrometer’s measurements should improve measurements of hydrogen and other elements in the Martian rocks and soil.

Related Links:

•  NASA press release
•  University of Arizona press release
•  SPACE.com article