This is the camera behind the stunning European imagery from Mars. The High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA
Valles Marineris Region
This image was aquired in orbit 18 on 14 January 2004 from an altitude of 275 km. It shows a region north of Valles Marineris located at between 5 and 10oN, 323oE. The image height is 50 km, it has a resolution of 12 m per pixel. The features in the picture indicate erosional processes possibly caused by water. North is to the right side of the picture.
Europe’s eye on Mars
Images from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard ESA’s Mars Express orbiter, in colour and 3D, in orbit 18 on 14 January 2004 from a height of 275 km.
Europe’s eye on Mars: first spectacular results from Mars Express
ESA’s Mars Express, successfully inserted into orbit around Mars on 25 December 2003, is about to reach its final operating orbit above the poles of the Red Planet. The scientific investigation has just started and the first results already look very promising, as this first close-up image shows.
Major Mars Express scheduled orbit change achieved
This morning, at 09:00 CET, the first European mission to Mars registered another operational success. The Mars Express flight control team at ESOC prepared and executed another critical manoeuvre, bringing the spacecraft from an equatorial orbit into a polar orbit around Mars. All commands were transmitted to Mars Express via ESA’s new Deep Space Station in New Norcia, Australia. This morning, the main engine of Mars Express was fired for four minutes to turn the spacecraft into a new direction, at a distance of 188 000 kilometres from Mars and about 160 million kilometres from Earth. On 4 January 2004, this new polar orbit will be reduced even further.
Scientists and engineers still waiting to hear from Beagle 2 on Mars
Two attempts to communicate with Beagle 2 during the last 24 hours – first with the 76 metre (250 feet) Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK, and then this morning with the Mars Odyssey orbiter – ended without receiving a signal. Despite this outcome, fresh attempts to scan for a signal from Beagle 2 will be made over the coming days. Meanwhile, scientists and engineers are eagerly awaiting ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft return close enough to Mars to try to establish contact with Beagle 2. This may be possible from 4 January 2004.
03:45 CET… Mars Express status report
At 03:45 CET today, the Beagle 2 lander should have entered the Martian atmosphere. The Mars Express orbiter began its main engine ignition sequence to start the 34-minute main engine burn for achieving Mars Orbit Insertion. At this time the two spacecraft will be 2700 kilometres apart in space as they began the most crucial stages of their missions.
Mars Express status report…
At 12:00 CET today, the Mars Express orbiter was 169 000 kilometres from Mars and 156 167 000 kilometres from Earth. The orbiter is now in the final configuration for Mars Orbit Insertion. No more commands are being sent to the spacecraft until after its capture by Mars.
Aurora
Now that Mars Express has successfully released Beagle 2 on its way to Mars the next step in Europe