Tag Archives: European Space Agency

Seeing Mars with 2020 vision: Jezero Crater and Oxia Planum

Posted on March 7, 2019 by rburnham

Both NASA and ESA hope their next Mars rovers will find evidence that life once thrived on Mars, but they have different strategies to reach this goal. Their landing site choices reflect this difference. Engineers are assembling two ambitious rover … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Mars Express: Geological evidence of a global groundwater system

Posted on March 1, 2019 by rburnham

[Ed. note: This research was reported earlier here.] Mars Express has revealed the first geological evidence of a system of ancient interconnected lakes that once lay deep beneath the Red Planet’s surface, five of which may contain minerals crucial to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

ExoMars 2020: FiT for Mars

Posted on February 28, 2019 by rburnham

Rovers are versatile explorers on the surface of other planets, but they do need some training before setting off. A model of Rosalind Franklin rover that will be sent to Mars in 2021 is scouting the Atacama Desert, in Chile, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Mars Express: Signs of ancient flowing water

Posted on February 21, 2019 by rburnham

These images from ESA’s Mars Express satellite show a branching, desiccated system of trenches and valleys, signs of ancient water flow that hint at a warmer, wetter past for the Red Planet. We see Mars as a cold, dry world, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

ExoMars rover named for Rosalind Franklin

Posted on February 7, 2019 by rburnham

The ExoMars rover that will search for the building blocks of life on the Red Planet has a name: Rosalind Franklin. The prominent scientist behind the discovery of the structure of DNA will have her symbolic footprint on Mars in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

ExoMars: Eberswalde Crater delta

Posted on February 4, 2019 by rburnham

This intricate structure of an ancient river delta once carried liquid water across the surface of Mars. The distinctive form of a delta arises from sediments that are deposited by a river as it enters slower-moving water, like a lake … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

ExoMars rover software passes ESA Mars Yard driving test

Posted on January 17, 2019 by rburnham

Navigation software destined for the ExoMars 2020 mission to the Red Planet has passed a rover-based driving test at ESA’s ‘Mars Yard.’ ESA’s ExoMars rover will drive to multiple locations and drill down to two metres below the surface of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Mars Express: 15 years imaging the Red Planet

Posted on January 10, 2019 by rburnham

On 25 December 2003, ESA’s Mars Express entered orbit around the Red Planet. The spacecraft began returning the first images from orbit using its High Resolution Stereo Camera just a couple of weeks later, and over the course of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Mars Express: Korolev Crater

Posted on December 20, 2018 by rburnham

This image shows what appears to be a large patch of fresh, untrodden snow – a dream for any lover of the holiday season. However, it’s a little too distant for a last-minute winter getaway: this feature, known as Korolev … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

ESA: Self-driving rovers tested in Mars-like Morocco

Posted on December 20, 2018 by rburnham

Robots invaded the Sahara Desert for Europe’s largest rover field test, taking place in a Mars-like part of Morocco. For two weeks three rovers and more than 40 engineers tested automated navigation systems at up to five different sites. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off