Aerojet Engines Enable Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to Enter Martian Orbit
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SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp Inc. (NYSE:GY) company, played a crucial role in Friday's space maneuver for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft. A cluster of six precision Aerojet rocket engines fired for 27 minutes to slow the spacecraft for capture by the Martian gravity field and place the MRO in orbit around the red planet.
Six of the rocket engines fired simultaneously while 14 smaller thrusters manufactured by Aerojet slowed and maneuvered the spacecraft achieving precise orbit insertion. The smaller engines will be active once again for other critical maneuvers the spacecraft must make as it continues to orbit the red planet and carry out its mission.
The goal of the MRO spacecraft is to use its science instruments to learn more about the existence of water on Mars, while paving the way for additional robotic surface explorer missions and possible manned missions late in the next decade. These instruments will use extreme close-up photography for imaging the Martian surface, analyze minerals, look for subsurface water, trace how much dust and water are distributed in the atmosphere, and monitor daily global weather.
"Friday's maneuver was a critical and significant milestone for the mission," said Aerojet President Scott Neish. "Detailed maps of the Martian surface over NASA-targeted regions depended on a precise trajectory and a successful transition into Martian orbit by the MRO spacecraft."
MRO was launched Aug. 12, 2005 aboard an Aerojet-assisted Lockheed Martin Atlas(R) V launch vehicle. Aerojet built the engines under contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver, Colo., prime contractor for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Mars mission for NASA's office of Space Science.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, and defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate business segment that includes activities related to the development, sale and leasing of the Company's real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the Companies' web sites at www.aerojet.com/ and www.gencorp.com/ .
Source: Aerojet
CONTACT: Rob Huff of Aerojet, +1-916-296-7860, or
robert.huff@aerojet.com; or Linda Cutler of GenCorp, +1-916-351-8650, or
linda.cutler@gencorp.com
Web site: www.aerojet.com/
http://www.gencorp.com/
