THOR's hammers — and other discovery tools

When the Norse god Thor threw his hammer, lightning bolts flew. When the THOR mission hits Mars with two hammerblows, the outcome will be dramatic, highly sophisticated, and scientifically informative.

The THOR flight system is based upon the proven Mars Odyssey spacecraft bus, updated with avionics components from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

THOR will meet its science objectives using two massive impactors, an infrared imaging spectrometer with high spectral and spatial resolution plus a panchromatic infrared imager, a narrow-angle panchromatic visible camera, and a medium-angle color visible camera.

THOR Imaging Spectrometer (THORIS)
THORIS is a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer that will be the most capable infrared spectrometer yet flown to Mars. It will view the sublimation plume from the craters, the atmosphere, and the surface in a nadir-viewing mode. THORIS will also obtain thermal infrared temperature images of the crater and its ejecta.

THOR Medium-Angle Camera (TMAC)
TMAC will provide views of the surface with a resolution of better than 200 meters (660 feet) per pixel at a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). When THOR reaches its farthest distance from Mars in each 2-hour orbit, TMAC will provide a global view of the planet.

THOR Narrow-Angle Camera (TNAC)
TNAC will provide views of the surface with a resolution of 10 meters (33 feet) per pixel at a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

Impactors
Two inert, solid-copper spheres of 1,200 and 450 kilograms (2,645 and 992 pounds) mass will strike the ground at 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) per second.