Tag Archives: ESA

Mars Express: Radar echoes from Meridiani Planum

Posted on April 16, 2018 by rburnham

Searching for signs of ice on Mars is complex. To explore whether ice lurks beneath the surface of the Red Planet, ESA’s Mars Express uses its radar to probe the interior. It sends low-frequency radio pulses at Mars and records … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Candidate ExoMars landing site in Oxia Palus

Posted on April 16, 2018 by rburnham

Candidate ExoMars landing site in Oxia Palus region. Beautiful Mars series.

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HRSC: Mars impact crater or supervolcano?

Posted on April 12, 2018 by rburnham

These images from [the High Resolution Stereo Camera on] ESA’s Mars Express show a crater named Ismenia Patera on the Red Planet. Its origin remains uncertain: did a meteorite smash into the surface or could it be the remnants of … Continue reading →

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Mars Express: Aging gyros force update for guidance software

Posted on April 11, 2018 by rburnham

Every so often, your smartphone or tablet receives new software to improve its functionality and extend its life. Now, ESA’s Mars Express is getting a fresh install, delivered across over 150 million km of space. With nearly 15 years in … Continue reading →

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ExoMars poised to start science mission

Posted on April 9, 2018 by rburnham

The ExoMars orbiter will soon begin its search for gases that may be linked to active geological or biological activity on the Red Planet. The Trace Gas Orbiter has reached its final orbit after a year of ‘aerobraking’ that ended … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2020: First parachute test successful

Posted on March 29, 2018 by rburnham

The largest parachute ever to fly on a Mars mission has been deployed in the first of a series of tests to prepare for the upcoming ExoMars mission that will deliver a rover and a surface science platform to the … Continue reading →

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Mars Express views both moons against Saturn’s rings

Posted on March 1, 2018 by rburnham

New images and video from ESA’s Mars Express show Phobos and Deimos drifting in front of Saturn and background stars, revealing more about the positioning and surfaces of the Red Planet’s mysterious moons. Mars’ two small moons are intriguing objects. … Continue reading →

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ExoMars: Surfing complete

Posted on February 21, 2018 by rburnham

Slowed by skimming through the very top of the upper atmosphere, ESA’s ExoMars has lowered itself into a planet-hugging orbit and is about ready to begin sniffing the Red Planet for methane. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter arrived at Mars … Continue reading →

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Mars Express: Leaky atmosphere linked to lightweight planet

Posted on February 8, 2018 by rburnham

The Red Planet’s low gravity and lack of magnetic field makes its outermost atmosphere an easy target to be swept away by the solar wind, but new evidence from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft shows that the Sun’s radiation may play … Continue reading →

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Trace Gas Orbiter: Aerobraking down, down

Posted on February 2, 2018 by rburnham

Spacecraft Operations Engineer Armelle Hubault, working on the ExoMars TGO flight control team, reports: This graphic (above) gives a very concise visualisation of the fantastic progress we’ve made with aerobraking to date. It was coded by my ExoMars TGO colleague … Continue reading →

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