Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

Rxke · 2003-12-25 13:23:23

Congratulations to all people involved!
This promises to be a *very* interesting mission: Subsurface RADAR mapping (water), mineralogical contents of the upper layer (including search for nitrates), Atmospheric measurements, 2m(!) resoluton camera, stereo-imaging (3D) etc... Too bad Beagle2's 'bad news' takes away a bit of the shine of this accomplishment...

Mars Express successfuly orbits Mars (Spaceref) Very small article, looks like B 2 has all the attention.

Rxke · 2003-12-30 06:11:38

Mars Express did an orbit shift burn.

BBC

atitarev · 2003-12-30 06:50:02

Another one more related to Beagle 2 - most recent news.
Beagle 2 Official Web Site

Rxke · 2003-12-31 05:04:01

At last, Phobos will hit the spotlights, too, thanks to Mars Express. A better map will be made, and more importantly: there'll be some more information forthcoming about the mineral composition. This is significant for future flights, 'cause some scenario's see Phobos as an intermediate base for launches betwen Mars and Earth...

ESA

Stu · 2004-01-02 03:58:56

Very interesting website here for people looking forward to seeing results from MEx's hi-res camera. Apologies if I'm repeat-posting an earlier link from somewhere!

(Hint: before going to the image at the bottom of the page, track-down the pair of 3D glasses from that old Pathfinder pics copy of National Geographic... ;-) )

http://sci.esa.int/science....gid=657

Stu

Shaun Barrett · 2004-01-02 19:28:47

A very interesting site, Stu.
What caught my eye was the reference to the contentious issue of whether or not there exists a recognisable coastline where the northern plains meet the cratered highlands.
According to the article you linked for us, the contiguous coverage of the surface by the new camera should be able to confirm or deny the existence of such a feature, which has up to now been hotly debated because the evidence is too inconclusive.

It's a good thing to be reminded of the excellent science we can look forward to from the Mars Express orbiting craft, regardless of the fate of the Beagle 2 lander. (Still got my fingers crossed for the latter, though! )

Ad Astra · 2004-01-05 14:20:18

I'm angry at the media for depicting Beagle 2 as the centerpiece of the Mars Express mission, because the orbiter had greater scientific significance. Although the apparent loss of Beagle prevents the mission from being a total success, the majority of the science objectives will be met. And that is something we will benefit greatly from.

Stu · 2004-01-15 13:41:48

First release of pictures due from Mars on Jan 20th...

[http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994573]http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994573

Quote from one of the team: "They blew me away..."

Article states that among the first targets of the MEx's 2m resolution camera will be Valles Marineris and Olympus Mons..

Can't wait!!!

Josh Cryer · 2004-01-15 16:19:54

And it should be noted, that tomorrow, Mars Express is going to be flying over Spirit, and taking data, as Spirit is taking data when Mars Express flies over. This gives us a better idea of what's going on because we'll have two instruments, one above the atmosphere, and one below it, making measurments.

For us who like pretty pictures, it probably won't be much, but for the scientists, it's going to be execellent. We'd, potentially, be able to strip away the atmosphere using data from this pass and the subsequent passes that are going to be made by various probes.

Rxke · 2004-01-19 11:55:44

First 3D pictures coming in!
And it's a stunner! Wheeeeeee!

[http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars … 4OD_0.html]ESA

remcook · 2004-01-19 12:19:25

you beat me to it

don't you have ANYTHING better to do?!

Rxke · 2004-01-19 13:07:54

Heh, Rem... Guess what: the past night i didn't sleep, had a paper to finish, so, of course, every few hours i checked NMars forum... this morning i went to academy to bring it in, checked NMars forum there, took train back home, checked NMars... slept 3 hours, cheked NMars, logged in to /. ,found the article and posted it here...

So i guess you're 200% right... I have better things to do, but i am good at combining things (*cough*cough* let's see my grade on that paper first...)

Palomar · 2004-01-20 07:12:18

[=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/express_update_040119.html]ME spends back first high-resolution photo of Mars!

*Mmmmm, yummy! Those deep russet and gold colors.

"Europe's Mars Express satellite has produced a color 3D image of the Red Planet's surface, a rugged area near the planet's equator called the Grand Canyon of Mars, or Valles Marineris."

[http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/ima … pic_02.jpg]Larger pic

*Now that's what I call bee-U-tee-ful!

--Cindy

maxie edit: corrected the link to the larger pic

Rxke · 2004-01-20 08:06:11

If you download the pic, and rotate 180? it in yer favourite image-editing program, the 3D effect is better, now it looks a bit inside-out...

And it *is* amazing, all these plateau's, wow...

Palomar · 2004-01-23 06:42:36

[=http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/040123114647.tzeegpu9.html]ME identifies water-ice at Marsian south pole

*Good news from Mars especially appreciated today.

"DARMSTADT, Germany (AFP) Jan 23, 2004
The European orbiter Mars Express has detected ice at the South Pole of Mars, a finding that confirms indications by NASA nearly two years ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) said Friday."

...and...

"'We have identified water ice on the South Pole,' said ESA scientist Vittorio Formisano, unveiling preliminary data garnered by the unmanned spacecraft."

--Cindy

::EDIT:: Visual data regarding this can be seen by visiting ESA's main portal:

[http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/index.html]http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/index.html

Rxke · 2004-01-23 08:10:28

Good news, this orbiter might prove invaluable in the near future, glad the science package is working OK.

Only wished there'd be a legend with the purty picsjerz. Notice how the leftmost band shows an 'extended' compositional fingerprint in contrast with the second and third (visual?).
Would that be subsurface ice or what? No way to tell when they do not say what the pictures mean, duh.

Rxke · 2004-01-23 10:07:53

And more purty pictures from Mars Express..
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3423301.stm]BBC Science/nature

Palomar · 2004-01-30 08:20:57

*Wow -- stunning image:

[http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040129.html]http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040129.html

"Pictured above is a 3D perspective of the first image released from this satellite -- a stunning computer reconstruction of part of the Valles Marineris region, a canyon nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Mars. In reality, Valles Marineris is four times longer and five times deeper than its Arizona counterpart."

--Cindy

(Hopefully this isn't already in the link Rik posted previously; I can't get that link to download)

Jim Burk - MarsNews.com · 2004-01-30 20:33:40

ESA's Mars Express orbiter captured an image of Spirit's landing site about a week ago. The image shows the exact location of Spirit is awash in a shade of green. Don't believe me? Look at the image for yourself.
[http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=34531]http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=34531

The same area was acquired by Odyssey in this false color image:
[http://themis-data.asu.edu/img/V03415003_C321.html]http://themis-data.asu.edu/img/V03415003_C321.html

Don Davis is an independent space artist / researcher who has processed
color images for Malin in the past. Here is his processing of the Gusev
landing site into "true color" from Odyssey data
[http://www.donaldedavis.com/BIGPUB/DD_V03415003.jpg]http://www.donaldedavis.com/BIGPUB/DD_V03415003.jpg

What are your comments on this?

GOM · 2004-01-30 21:47:00

What are your comments on this?

Alll I can think of right now is: WOW!!!

Thanks for posting that....

Stephen · 2004-01-31 22:56:36

ESA's Mars Express orbiter captured an image of Spirit's landing site about a week ago. The image shows the exact location of Spirit is awash in a shade of green. Don't believe me? Look at the image for yourself.
[http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=34531]http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=34531

The current _New Scientist_ issue (p19) adds a curious twist to that pic.

"Although there are standard red, green, and blue (RGB) filters onboard that can produce a fair approximation of 'true' colour, there have hardly been used. Instead most of the colour images displayed so far have been taken through green, blue, and infrared filters (IR-GB). When the infrared gets rendered as red, the results are pretty close to true, but with some glaring exceptions. Blue and green, in particular, just don't come out right."

This, it seems, was all right because "[a]s far as we know, those colours don't exist anywhere on the surface of Mars".

"If they did, we would have noticed them in the few images that have been produced using a normal red filter."

Bearing that Mars Express pic in mind perhaps a new more might be in order!

=====
Stephen

Shaun Barrett · 2004-02-01 02:16:40

I agree with you, Stephen.
It seems presumptuous and illogical to assume there's no green on Mars and then make it a self-fulfilling prophecy by using filters which prevent you detecting it!

Arccos · 2004-02-04 06:02:26

This color issue really confuses me. What shoul I belive? Spirit's pictures or ME pictures?

Palomar · 2004-02-13 13:59:04

[=http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM9BA1PGQD_0.html]Prepare to Swoon

*Exquisite!!!

--Cindy

Lars_J · 2004-02-13 15:24:05

More swooning opportunities:

- [http://www.dlr.de/mars-express/images/1 … 00-072.jpg]Better version of above image
- [http://www.dlr.de/mars-express/images/1 … 20-300.jpg]Above photo combined with a terrain model (3mb)
- [http://www.dlr.de/mars-express/images/2 … te_900.jpg]Gusev crater (corrected colors)
- [http://www.dlr.de/mars-express/images/0 … 3v_900.jpg]Unknown canyon

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#1 2003-12-25 13:23:23

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#2 2003-12-30 06:11:38

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#3 2003-12-30 06:50:02

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#4 2003-12-31 05:04:01

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#5 2004-01-02 03:58:56

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#6 2004-01-02 19:28:47

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#7 2004-01-05 14:20:18

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#8 2004-01-15 13:41:48

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#9 2004-01-15 16:19:54

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#10 2004-01-19 11:55:44

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#11 2004-01-19 12:19:25

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#12 2004-01-19 13:07:54

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#13 2004-01-20 07:12:18

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#14 2004-01-20 08:06:11

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#15 2004-01-23 06:42:36

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#16 2004-01-23 08:10:28

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#17 2004-01-23 10:07:53

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#18 2004-01-30 08:20:57

Re: Mars Express (MEX) - ESA orbiter

#19 2004-01-30 20:33:40

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#20 2004-01-30 21:47:00

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#21 2004-01-31 22:56:36

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#22 2004-02-01 02:16:40

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#23 2004-02-04 06:02:26

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#24 2004-02-13 13:59:04

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#25 2004-02-13 15:24:05

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