 NASA Banner Mars Exploration Program Source: Jet Propulsion
Laboratory  Set to Reach Milestone, Reports Technical Glitches
Dunes in Proctor Crater, located in the southern hemisphere of
Mars where it was winter at the time this image was taken.
Scientists think the bright tones are carbon dioxide or water
frost. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona  View
larger image  NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft this
month is set to surpass the record for the most science data
returned by any Mars spacecraft. While the mission continues to
produce data at record levels, engineers are examining why two
instruments are intermittently not performing entirely as
planned. All other spacecraft instruments are operating normally
and continue to return science data.  Since beginning its
primary science phase in November 2006, the orbiter has returned
enough data to fill nearly 1,000 CD-ROMs. This ties the record
for Mars data sent back between 1997 and 2006 by NASA's Mars
Global Surveyor mission.  In la