NASA sent a probe to Mars bearing the name Odyssey. Given that 50% of the missions to Mars have ended in failure, the probe was aptly named. In fact, NASA employees often refer to past missions embarked to the red planet as "cursed," in much the same way as Aeolus had referred to Odysseus in Book 10. NASA, however, is not one to shed light on its own failures, so it is only logical to assume that failure had absolutely no bearing on the naming of the probe. Magazines, minivans, and missions to Mars all bear the name Odyssey because of the aura of mystique it implies. When marketing executives at Honda decided to name their new line of grocery-go-getters, I'm sure they didn't envision children aging twenty years and dying horrible deaths by the time their mothers managed to get them from home to soccer practice. Many people perceive the word Odyssey as some sort of mystical voyage into the unknown. Those people probably didn't read the poem. First and foremost, the Odyssey is a story of returning home, just like its chronological predecessor, the Nostoi, another Greek epic on the scale of the Odyssey or the Iliad, most of which has been lost to time. The Nostoi (from the Greek nostos - to return home) gave accounts of the Greeks returning from Troy, including that of Agamemnon, Diomedes, Nestor, Menelaus, and Calchas. In fact, at the end of the Nostoi, the only Greek hero (still alive) who has yet to return is Odysseus.

It is unlikely the Mars probe will ever be returned to Earth.

Here's the URL for the picture, which came up sixth in a Google image search for "Odyssey": http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/mars_2001_odyssey.jpg

I choose this image of the archery chalenge given by penelope because it represents a turn in the suitors fortune.  It is at this time that Odysseus is now home and trying to outsmart the suitors and in the end execute his revenge upon them.  For her part Penelope comes up with challenges that she knows only Odysseus could complete such as the stringing of his bow or shooting an arrow through the axe heads.  The illustration that I choose shows the impossiblity of one of the tasks.  One of the suitors can be seen throwing his arms up in the air out of frustration because he believes the task to be impossible.  In the background it is also possible to see Penelope walking back up the stairs to her room to wait for the conclusion of the trial since she is well aware that none of the suitors can complete it.  The artist for the piece is emphasizing the difficultyand importance of the task because everyone of the suitors in the foreground is watching the task being attempted.  It is also clear that this is before Odysseus has revelaed himself because none of the suitors have an expression of anger or fear.  The challenge is also shown to be the key component of the picture because it is placed exclusively in the foreground.  It is also the most detailed aspect of the picture.  Everything else fades into the background.  I also like this picture because it implies the impending doom of the suitors who have taken advantage of Odysseus' absence.  Essentially they get what is coming to them finally.

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/odyssey/odyss137.jpg

I found this image of Kalypso and Odysseus most captivating. Kalypso is staring at Odysseus with longing eyes while sitting on a red cloth. Kalypso's eyes and body language shows how she cares for Odysseus. The red cloth may also represent the love she has for him. Perhaps her body is exposed as an attempt to seduce him. Odysseus is standing on the highest rock with his back turned to Kalypso and looking out to the sea. Perhaps he is standing on the highest rock to show how special Kalypso believes him to be. Him looking out into the sea makes me feel that he has a longing to return home. His back showing to Kalypso shows that he does not care for her. Also, Odysseus almost appears to look like a statue. I think this is to show that he cannot leave the island and is stuck at one place. The distance between them also points out that there is a lack of love between the two.

I don't think I posted the pic correctly. Here is the link

http://www.hellados.ru/img/pic/calypso_odysseus.jpg

I chose this picture because it is a great representation of Odysseus waiting to go home as he is on the island with Calypso.  His hands in the air show how he is wanting to go home.  His pretty much naked body represents how he is bare with nothing on that island.  He is being kept as a sex slave.  The waves show how choppy the water is, and how he would never make it off the island by a boat.  This painting represents how a person sometimes feels hopeless.  Odysseus is stranded on an island with no way out, and all he can do is sit and wait.  The painter used earth-tonish colors to represent how dreadful and horrible this moment really was to Odysseus.

if the picture doesn't show up here is the website:  http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Arnold-Bocklin/Odysseus-by-the-Sea-Giclee-Print-C12010680.jpeg

This picture really caught my attention because I watched the movie freshman year of high school and the only part that I really remembered from it was Polyphemus. I like this picture because it actually represents the way it was done in the book. I like how Polyphemus looks like an actual man, just bigger and with one eye. He is very muscular and it convinces me more that he is Poseidon's son. If you look closely you can actually see the soldiers escaping underneath the sheep. This is more like the picture that I had in my head and I like that the two pictures are similar.

http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/courses/2006spring/cg310/jordaens.jpg