Jacob Samorodin wrote:
[2001 Mars Odyssey is] now in its science orbit, and a couple of its
science instruments are now operating.

Alex writes:
Just a point of clarification: 2001 Mars Odyssey's Neutron Spectrometer (Feldman et al.; LANL) and the GRS High Energy Neutron Detector (Mitrifonov et al., IKI) have been collecting data since shortly after Mars orbit insertion last October. In fact, the NS returned some intriguing preliminary data, which was presented at the 2001 AGU Fall Meeting, from calibration passes (over the northern hemisphere) suggesting near-surface hydrogen enrichment (i.e., suggestive of water ice). The Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) itself will not begin mapping until the boom is fully extended. Also, as one might recall the Mars Radiation Experiment (MARIE) has been inactive since being shut down during cruise last August, though the team will try to restart the instrument once the mapping cycle begins later this month. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was tested late last year and found to be fully operational and is awaiting mapping operations.

For those who are not aware, 2001 Mars Odyssey's instruments will operate on a time-phased basis depending on the optimum conditions (surface illumination, equatorial crossing time, etc.) for each.
Specifically, THEMIS operates during the first 300 and last 300 days of the 917 day science mission, GRS operates during the last 817 days, and MARIE (assuming it is restarted) will operate throughout. The latest plan does not include an orbit transfer maneuver to a sun-synchronous inclination (originally for THEMIS)--the orbit local solar time is allowed to continuously drift later throughout the mission. This, from what I understand, is being reevaluated.

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawaii