B2MIN9: Beagle 2 Teams Continue Efforts To Communicate With The Lander Scientists are still waiting to hear from the Beagle 2 lander on Mars. Two attempts to communicate with Beagle 2 during the last 24 hours - first with the 250 ft (76 m) 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, two... view more... (2003-12-27)
Possible evidence found for Beagle 2 location The news that Beagle 2 may have been spotted on the surface of Mars in the immediate vicinity of where it was expected to land was welcomed by the European Space Agency. view more (2005-12-22)
Mars Express confirms methane in the Martian atmosphere During recent observations from the ESA Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars, methane was detected in its atmosphere. Whilst it is too early to draw any conclusions on its origin, exciting as they may be, scientists are thinking about the next steps to take in order to understand more. From the time of its arrival at Mars, the Mars... view more... (2004-03-30)
Mars Express observes aurorae on the Red Planet Scientists using ESA's Mars Express have produced the first crude map of aurorae on Mars. These displays of ultraviolet light appear to be located close to the residual magnetic fields generated by Mars's crustal rocks. view more (2008-11-24)
Separation Day Arrives for Mars Express and Beagle 2 After a joint journey of 250 million miles (400 million km), the British-built Beagle 2 spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter should now have parted and gone their separate ways. At 8.31 GMT, software on Mars Express was scheduled to send the command for the Beagle 2 lander to separate from the orbiter. This would fire a... view more... (2003-12-19)
Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give scientists the data they need to investigate the evolution of the two planets' atmospheres. view more (2008-03-06)
Mars Express mission controllers ready for NASA Phoenix landing ESA's Mars Express mission control team are ready to monitor Phoenix's critical entry, descent and landing onto the Martian surface on 26 May 2008. view more (2008-05-21)
Mars Express radar gauges water quantity around Mars south pole The amount of water trapped in frozen layers over Mars' south polar region is equivalent to a liquid layer about 11 metres deep covering the planet. view more (2007-03-16)
Mars Express sees its first water - scientific results ESA PR 06-2004. Mars Express, ESA's first mission to Mars, will reach its final orbit on 28 January. It has already been producing stunning results since its first instrument was switched on, on 5 January. The significance of the first data was emphasised by the scientists at a European press conference today at ESA's Space Operations Centre,... view more... (2004-01-23)
Mars Express reveals the Red Planet's volcanic past A new analysis of impact cratering data from Mars reveals that the planet has undergone a series of global volcanic upheavals. These violent episodes spewed lava and water onto the surface, sculpting the landscape that ESA's Mars Express looks down on today. view more (2008-03-17)
First Mars, then Venus! Fifteen days after the launch of Mars Express, Europe has reaffirmed its trust in Soyuz: next stop Venus in 2005! Just two weeks after the flawless launch of Mars Express on its way towards the Red Planet, ESA and the European-Russian company Starsem reinforced their relationship with the signature of the Venus Express launch services agreement.... view more... (2003-06-18)
Preparing for the Venus Express The European Space Agency is planning its first mission to unveil the mysteries of Earth`s cloud-shrouded sister planet, Venus. On Wednesday 10 April, Professor Fred Taylor (University of Oxford) will be explaining to the UK National Astronomy Meeting why European scientists are hoping to be on board the Venus Express in 2005. Venus, the Earth`s... view more... (2002-04-03)
The Radar Search For Martian Water Until the last few years, Mars has been regarded as a cold, arid world that lost most of its water long ago. However, recent observations by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey spacecraft have provided tantalising evidence that huge amounts of water may be hidden just below the surface. Now, a powerful new instrument is poised to probe... view more... (2003-04-01)
Rare high-altitude clouds found on Mars Planetary scientists have discovered the highest clouds above any planetary surface. They found them above Mars using the SPICAM instrument on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. The results are a new piece in the puzzle of how the Martian atmosphere works. view more (2006-08-29)
Timing is critical as launch windows approach There will be greater tension than usual among engineers and scientists at Europe`s spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, in January 2003, as they gather to see ESA`s comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta departing on its long journey. If it is to keep its rendezvous with Comet Wirtanen in 2012, Rosetta must lift off on its Ariane-5 launcher no sooner... view more... (2002-09-05)
The MARSIS radar estimates the volume of water in the south pole of Mars By studying the South Polar region of Mars, the MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) radar of the Mars Express space probe has enabled the structure of the layered deposits of this region to be elucidated. view more (2007-04-02)
Deep and Crisp and Eaten: Scotland's Deep- Fried Mars Bar Scotland has had a reputation as the home of the deep-fried Mars bar for many years. Researchers Dr Mark Petticrew, from the University of Glasgow, and Dr David Morrison had never actually seen them for sale but after a recent mention by Jay Leno, host of NBC's Tonight Show they set out to find if it is myth or fact. view more (2004-12-17)
Fractured crater near Valles Marineris This perspective image of a fractured crater near Valles Marineris on Mars was obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board the ESA Mars Express spacecraft. The image was taken during orbit 61 in January 2004 with a resolution of 12. 5 metres per pixel. It shows part of a cratered landscape to the north of the Valles Marineris,... view more... (2004-07-27)
And now the weather ... on Mars Blinding dust storms can seriously ruin your plans for a landing on Mars. ESA is adapting the global climate models that we use to forecast our weather on Earth for the turbulent conditions that Mars offers its future visitors. You could hardly call the weather on Mars pleasant, and presently it is far from predictable. As well as having an... view more... (2002-07-03)
Mars Express radar ready to work MARSIS, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding on board ESA's Mars Express orbiter, is now fully deployed, has undergone its first check-out and is ready to start operations around the Red Planet. view more (2005-06-23)
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