ORBITER

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon

Synonyms:

artificial satellite; orbiter; satellite

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("orbiter" is a kind of...):

equipment (an instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service)

Meronyms (parts of "orbiter"):

solar array; solar battery; solar panel (electrical device consisting of a large array of connected solar cells)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "orbiter"):

astronomy satellite (a satellite equipped with a telescope to observe infrared radiation)

communications satellite (an artificial satellite that relays signals back to earth; moves in a geostationary orbit)

ballistic capsule; space vehicle; spacecraft (a craft capable of traveling in outer space; technically, a satellite around the sun)

space laboratory; space platform; space station (a manned artificial satellite in a fixed orbit designed for scientific research)

sputnik (a Russian artificial satellite)

spy satellite (a satellite with sensors to detect nuclear explosions)

meteorological satellite; weather satellite (a satellite that transmits frequent picture of the earth below)

Derivation:

orbit (move in an orbit)

Credits

Context examples:

In some of the years when no orbiter was observing Mars up close, Mars was poorly positioned for Earth-based telescopic detection of dust storms during the Martian season when global storms are most likely.

(Study Predicts Next Global Dust Storm on Mars, NASA)

A link between the presence of water vapor in Mars' middle atmosphere — roughly 30 to 60 miles (50 to 100 kilometers) high — and escape of hydrogen from the top of the atmosphere has been detected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, but mainly in years without the dramatic changes produced in a global dust storm.

(Dust Storms Linked to Gas Escape from Mars Atmosphere, NASA)

A set of three observations with the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera shows Beagle 2 partially deployed on the surface of the planet, ending the mystery of what happened to the mission more than a decade ago.

('Lost' 2003 Mars Lander Found by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA)

Composed of an orbiter and lander, Rosetta's objectives upon arrival at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August are to study the celestial object up close in unprecedented detail, prepare for landing a probe on the comet's nucleus in November, and track its changes as it sweeps past the sun.

(Rosetta closing in on comet, NASA)

Even with more detailed studies of Martian meteorites coupled with thermal imaging of Mars taken from orbiters, and rock samples analyzed by rovers traversing the planet's surface, the best evidence of Mars' water history would be an actual Martian rock taken from the planet and transported back to Earth, intact, for detailed studies.

(New Evidence for A Water-Rich History on Mars, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The authors of the new paper make use of data from two of those spacecraft, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Odyssey orbiter, to locate water ice that could potentially be within reach of astronauts on the Red Planet.

(NASA's Treasure Map for Water Ice on Mars, NASA)

Scientists taking a new look at older data from NASA's longest-operating Mars orbiter have discovered evidence of significant hydration near the Martian equator — a mysterious signature in a region of the Red Planet where planetary scientists figure ice shouldn't exist.

(A Fresh Look at Older Data Yields a Surprise Near the Martian Equator, NASA)