April 7th - Mars Odessy

Today in 2001, a bunch of NASA scientists sent up the Mars Odyssey off to Mars. Its mission is to hang out around the outside of Mars with a bunch of science tools and both record its own data and help earth communicate with the rovers. As of 2022, the craft is still in operation over twenty years later. The craft shares its name with the classic Greek epic, but it was named for the book "2001: A Space Odyssey", which is best known for its film adaptation. It was kinda too perfect not to do, and plus they politely asked the guy who wrote the book if they could call it that and he was honored so they went for it.