What advantage does a small sensor orbiting Mars have over the largest Earth-bound scopes?
Answer
Direct measurements without atmospheric filtering
A specialized instrument package sent aboard a probe orbiting Mars benefits significantly from being 'in situ,' meaning it is directly interacting with the environment of the target world. This proximity allows the sensor to make direct measurements, completely bypassing the issues of atmospheric filtering and distortion that plague even the largest telescopes located on Earth. While Earth-based scopes gather more total light, the sensor near Mars can often provide more definitive chemical analysis because its data is unfiltered by the terrestrial atmosphere, despite its smaller physical aperture.
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