2001: Mars Odyssey launched
Nasa’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched on 7 April 2001.
The probe carried a gamma ray spectrometer and a thermal-emission imaging system to carry out a chemical and mineralogical survey of the planet.
It was also designed to search Mars for hidden reservoirs of water and to assess radiation risks to future human missions.
The spacecraft’s name was inspired by the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, written by Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.
Water-ice was found in vast quantities just beneath the surface of the red planet in May 2002.
Originally broadcast on 7 April 2001.