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TOPIC: Mars Express
Blobrana


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RE: Mars Express
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Today Mars Express began a series of flybys of Phobos, the largest moon of Mars. The campaign will reach its crescendo on 3 March, when the spacecraft will set a new record for the closest pass to Phobos, skimming the surface at just 50 km. The data collected could help untangle the origin of this mysterious moon.
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Blobrana


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ESA's Mars orbiter will perform the closest-ever flyby of Phobos on 3 March 2010 (Wednesday), with closest approach (CA) at 20:55 UT (21:55 CET). The flyby, at a planned altitude of just 50 km, will collect very precise radio Doppler data to help determine the moon's gravity field more accurately than ever.
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Blobrana


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On 26 January, Mars Express completed its 7777th orbit around the Red Planet, an auspicious milestone as the satellite is readied for the closest-ever flyby of Phobos, scheduled for just a few weeks from now.
Mars Express has been in orbit since 25 December 2003, returning a wealth of scientific information and some of the most stunning high-resolution imagery of the Red Planet ever.
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Blobrana


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Mission extensions approved for science missions
ESA's Science Programme Committee has approved the extension of mission operations for XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL, Venus Express, Mars Express and Cluster, as well as the ESA support to the operations of HST and SOHO, until 31 December 2012. An additional year of operations has been approved for Planck.

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Blobrana


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Mars Express mission
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The Mars Express mission has been extended to 2012.

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Blobrana


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ESA's Science Programme Committee has extended the operations of ESA's Mars Express, Venus Express and Cluster missions until 31 December 2009.
The decision to extend the three successful missions was taken on 4 February this year.

Mars Express - global view of the Red Planet
Mars Express, launched in June 2003, has been orbiting the Red Planet since the end of 2003, and has produced a treasure of discoveries.

Venus Express - lifting the veil on Venus
Venus Express was launched in November 2005 and reached Venus in April 2006, initiating the most comprehensive investigation of Earth's sister planet to date. Its mission was extended once to last until May 2009.

Cluster - the Sun-Earth connection in focus
The Cluster constellation was launched in summer 2000 and started operating in early 2001. Since then, this four-satellite mission is performing the first and best ever stereo investigation of the Earth's magnetosphere - the magnetic bubble surrounding our planet.

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Blobrana


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The Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) is mounted on Mars Express, ESA's deep-space probe now orbiting the Red Planet. It originally provided simple, low-tech images of Beagle lander separation, and is now back in action as the 'Mars Webcam'. It's not a scientific instrument, but it does provide fantastic views of Mars - including crescent views of the planet not obtainable from Earth.

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Blobrana


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At 4:49 UTC on 23 July 2008, the Mars Express spacecraft made its closest approach yet to Phobos, the larger of the two moons of Mars, passing at a distance of only 93 km at a relative speed of 3.0 km/s.

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Blobrana


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Beginning late on 25 May, Mars Express will execute a series of pre-programmed commands specially designed to support NASA's Phoenix lander. The ESA spacecraft will conduct a high-speed slew, enabling it to track Phoenix as it enters the martian atmosphere.

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Blobrana


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MARSIS
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ESAs Mars Express radar sounder, MARSIS, has looked beneath the Martian surface and opened up the third dimension for planetary exploration. The techniques success is prompting scientists to think of all the other places in the Solar System where they would like to use radar sounders.
No matter how accurate a camera is, it can only map a planets surface. To retrieve information about the underground realm, planetary scientists in the past would have thought it necessary to land on the surface and start digging. But that would only be good for a single spot on a large planet and the first few decimetres of the surface.  
To get the global picture of the subsurface they need a radar sounder, such as the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS), to find the best spots for the future landers to go and dig.

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