Tag Archives: ESA

NASA radio on Trace Gas Orbiter aces relay test

Data from each of the two rovers active on Mars reached Earth last week in the successful first relay test of a NASA radio aboard Europe’s new Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). The transmissions from NASA rovers Opportunity and Curiosity, received … Continue reading

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ExoMars: CaSSIS sends first images from orbit

The Mars Camera, CaSSIS, on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured its first high resolution images of the Red Planet last week. The Bernese camera worked almost perfectly and has provided spectacular views of the surface. CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo … Continue reading

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HRSC: Adamas Labyrinthus

This labyrinth-like system of troughs and plateaus was imaged by ESA’s Mars Express on 21 June 2016. It shows part of a region known as Adamas Labyrinthus, which is found in Utopia Planitia in the northern lowlands of Mars. Here, … Continue reading

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ExoMars: Schiaparelli inquest makes progress

Good progress has been made in investigating the ExoMars Schiaparelli anomaly of 19 October. A large volume of data recovered from the Mars lander shows that the atmospheric entry and associated braking occurred exactly as expected. The parachute deployed normally … Continue reading

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ExoMars: Trace Gas Orbiter preps for first science observations

The ExoMars orbiter is preparing to make its first scientific observations at Mars during two orbits of the planet starting next week. The Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos, arrived at Mars on 19 … Continue reading

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Beagle 2 landed intact and deployed most or all of its solar panels, says new study

Scientists in Leicester [UK] have moved one step closer to understanding exactly what happened to the ill-fated Mars Lander Beagle 2, thanks to an innovative research technique. The probe was discovered on the Red Planet in November 2014 but uncertainty … Continue reading

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Opportunity report, Sol 4540, by A.J.S. Rayl, The Planetary Society

November 5, 2016: Opportunity Scales Spirit Mound, Takes Shot at Schiaparelli: Deep in the western rim of Endeavour Crater at Cape Tribulation, Opportunity spent the month of October on Spirit Mound studying the rich yet familiar geology at the first … Continue reading

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Mars ionosphere shaped by crustal magnetic fields

Scattered pockets of magnetism across the surface of Mars have a significant influence on the planet’s upper atmosphere, according to observations from ESA’s Mars Express. Understanding these effects may be crucial for ensuring safe radio communications between Mars and Earth … Continue reading

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HRSC: A record of ancient tectonic stress

Sets of ridges and troughs some 1000 km north of the giant Olympus Mons volcano contain a record of the intense tectonic stresses and strains experienced in the Acheron Fossae region on Mars 3.7–3.9 billion years ago. This scene, captured … Continue reading

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ExoMars: Schiaparelli crash site in color

Editor note: See also HiRISE and Photojournal posts New high-resolution images taken by a NASA orbiter show parts of the ExoMars Schiaparelli module and its landing site in colour on the Red Planet. Schiaparelli arrived in the Meridiani Planum region … Continue reading

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