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CNN Saturday Morning News
NASA Probe Searches for Life on Mars
Aired April 07, 2001 - 08:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Looking for life on Mars, that's the goal of the $300 mission that launches less than three hours from now in Florida and CNN's John Zarrella is near the launch site now with the latest -- John, great to see you.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good to see you, too. I've got to tell you, the weather is absolutely beautiful. All is go to countdown to begin this countdown, only minutes away, 11:02 A.M. Eastern Time launch window. If they don't go at 11:02, they can try again at 11:33. They've got about a month to get off the ground.
We want to show you how good this weather was this morning. We were out here bright and early. What a sunup over the launch pads here, the beautiful red ball rising in the sky.
I'll tell you, as beautiful as the sunrise is, for NASA it's going to be really beautiful when this vehicle gets to Mars because this mission is critical to the success of the future of the Mars program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): It's no understatement to say that when this spacecraft named Odyssey leaves earth, everyone in NASA's Mars program will be holding their breath until next October, when the spacecraft goes into orbit around Mars. The U.S. space agency and its contractors have been more meticulous in preparing this deep space probe for flight than any in recent times.
JOHN HENK, LOCKHEED MARTIN: The amount of oversight you have on this one, the absolute you must know that it's going to work, in other words, lower the risk down to absolutely nothing, it's mandatory.
ZARRELLA: The pressure for success is understandable. Odyssey is the first space probe heading to Mars since the 1999 failures of the Mars climate orbiter and the polar lander. Both are believed to have crashed on the Martian surface. Following the accidents, the space agency conducted a complete review of its Mars program and restructured it from top to bottom. Odyssey is the result.
SCOTT HUBBARD, MARS PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Mars Odyssey, then, is the lead off batter in our new team approach to Mars. We're not attempting to hit a home run on every mission. ZARRELLA: The approach now is for each Mars mission to build on the knowledge gained from the previous ones. NASA's Mars philosophy is like a Sherlock Holmes detective story, in this case, follow the water. Odyssey will not land on Mars. It will go into orbit and begin a two year study of the planet's surface, looking for evidence of water.
UNIDENTIFIED SCIENTIST: If we were to show that water existed on Mars, that really is a good question to answer. That would be great.
ZARRELLA: One instrument, called Themus (ph), will look for minerals that are only formed in the presence of water. A gamma ray spectrometer will hunt for chemical elements, including hydrogen, that would suggest ice is just below the surface.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, the delta rocket is sitting on the launch pad there. It's going to be fueled. The fueling will start very shortly now. And again, 11:02 a.m. Eastern Time launch. They're working no issues.
Now, Odyssey, the name of Odyssey is a tribute to science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who we all know wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey," and of course an odyssey means, Kyra and Brian, a long wandering with lots of roads and twists and turns and NASA's hoping this will be a very positive one as they get to Mars in about six months.
This is John Zarrella reporting live from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: John, it sounds like you just described life.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
NELSON: What was that going across your screen?
PHILLIPS: Speaking of life, you've got bugs coming across your camera there, John.
NELSON: You've got some, you've got cucarachas, John. You'd better get them treated real soon.
PHILLIPS: It's taking -- that's the road less traveled, kind of across.
NELSON: That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right, well, CNN plans live coverage of the mission tomorrow minus the bugs, we promise. The delta rocket is set for liftoff just after 11:00 A.M. this morning. That's less than three hours from now.
NELSON: Oh, my gosh this... PHILLIPS: That was a first for me. How about you?
NELSON: That was a first for me, too.
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