The spacecraft flies around Mars for the longest time

The Odyssey probe of the US Space Agency (NASA) set a new record with the longest-running mission of Mars. Until December 20, the Odyssey flew around the orbit of the red planet for more than 3,345 days.

The Odyssey space probe has begun its mission to explore Mars for nearly 10 years and is still transferring data to Earth scientists. (Photo: Nasa).

The Odyssey probe has reached 3,345 days around Mars earlier this week (December 20). This achievement surpassed the record for the number of days around the red planet set in 2006 by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor .

Bob Berry, director of the Odyssey probe development project, told the Daily Mail : ' A lot of people involved in the development of the Odyssey probe are no longer alive, but they will surely be proud of the record that our probe has just made . '

Launched on April 7, 2001 from Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA), the Odyssey probe, worth $ 300 million, is tasked with finding evidence of the existence of water, volcanic activity. as well as signs of life on Mars.

During nearly 10 years of shooting around Mars, the Odyssey probe sent to Earth more than 21,000 high-resolution images of the red planet. Through these photos, scientists can create a complete map of the Martian surface.

The Odyssey probe also helped scientists for the first time detect frozen water layers on the surface of Mars, map mineral surfaces and measure radiation emitted by the planet in preparation. for the plan to bring people to Mars in the future.