Tag Archives: ESA

HRSC: Impact crater or supervolcano caldera?

Posted on May 21, 2015 by rburnham

At first glance, the region covered by this latest Mars Express image release appears to be pockmarked with impact craters. But the largest structure among them may hold a rather explosive secret: it could be remains of an ancient supervolcano. … Continue reading →

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Space traffic control at Mars

Posted on May 4, 2015 by rburnham

NASA has beefed up a process of traffic monitoring, communication and maneuver planning to ensure that Mars orbiters do not approach each other too closely. Last year’s addition of two new spacecraft orbiting Mars brought the census of active Mars … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Crossing the high/low boundary on Mars

Posted on March 12, 2015 by rburnham

On the boundary between the heavily cratered southern highlands and the smooth northern lowlands of Mars is an area rich in features sculpted by water and ice. Cydonia Mensae is a region of mesa-like structures, craters and otherwise smooth terrain. … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Phlegra Montes, southern tip

Posted on February 19, 2015 by rburnham

Colour image of the southernmost portion of Phlegra Montes on Mars, a complex system of isolated hills, ridges and small basins that spans over 1400 km from the Elysium volcanic region at about 30ºN and deep into the northern lowlands … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Cappuccino swirls at Mars’ south pole

Posted on February 9, 2015 by rburnham

Swirls of chocolate, caramel and cream – this image is definitely one to trigger sweet-toothed cravings. Smooth cream-coloured plateaus surrounded by cocoa-dusted ridges interspersed with caramel-hued streaks create a scene reminiscent of a cosmic cappuccino. This picture is, perhaps surprisingly, … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Mysteries in Nili Fossae

Posted on January 22, 2015 by rburnham

The Nili Fossae graben system is an area of great geological interest near the giant Isidis impact basin, northeast of the Syrtis Major volcanic province. The graben system contains numerous troughs, part of one can be seen at the lower … Continue reading →

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ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter assembly

Posted on January 7, 2015 by rburnham

To explore requires a strong backbone – and that goes double for space exploration. The 1.194 m-diameter 3.5-m high composite cylinder at the centre of this structure is the backbone of ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter core module, due for … Continue reading →

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Mars Express: New Years at Mars

Posted on January 6, 2015 by rburnham

This image was taken on 2 January just after midday GMT, and is one of the first of the Red Planet this year from the low-resolution Visual Monitoring Camera – the ‘Mars Webcam’ – on ESA’s Mars Express orbiter. It … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Chasms and cliffs on Mars

Posted on January 5, 2015 by rburnham

Although Mars is a very alien planet, some aspects of its geology are surprisingly familiar. This Mars Express image shows a snippet of a region of Mars filled with cliffs, trenches, faults, giant plateaus and volcanoes. The flowing cracks and … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Flight over Becquerel Crater

Posted on December 18, 2014 by rburnham

This latest release from the [High Resolution Stereo] camera on ESA’s Mars Express is a simulated flight over the Becquerel crater, showing large-scale deposits of sedimentary material. The 167 km-diameter Becquerel crater is located in the Arabia Terra region, straddling … Continue reading →

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