[meteorite-list] Europe's Eye On Mars: First Spectacular Results From Mars Express

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:04 2004
Message-ID: <200401192137.NAA25010_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

European Space Agency
Press Release No. 05-2004
Paris, France
19 January 2004

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.

Although the seven scientific instruments on board Mars Express are
still undergoing a thorough calibration phase, they have already
started collecting amazing results. The first high-resolution images
and spectra of Mars have already been acquired.

This first spectacular stereoscopic colour picture was taken on
14 January 2004 by ESA's Mars Express satellite from 275 km
above the surface of Mars by the High Resolution Stereo Camera
(HRSC). This image is available on the ESA portal at:

      http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMWF0474OD_0.html

The picture shows a portion of a 1700 km long and 65 km wide swath
which was taken in south-north direction across the Grand Canyon
of Mars (Valles Marineris). It is the first image of this size that
shows the surface of Mars in high resolution (12 metres per pixel),
in colour, and in 3D. The total area of the image on the Martian
surface (top left corner) corresponds to 120,000 km2. The lower
part of the picture shows the same region in perspective view as
if seen from a low-flying aircraft. This perspective view was
generated on a computer from the original image data. One looks
at a landscape which has been predominantly shaped by the
erosional action of water. Millions of cubic kilometres of rock have
been removed, and the surface features seen now such as
mountain ranges, valleys, and mesas, have been formed.

The HRSC is just one of the instruments to have collected exciting
data. To learn more about the very promising beginning to ESA's
scientific exploration of Mars, media representatives are invited
to attend a press conference on Friday, 23 January 2004, at
11:00 CET [1000 UTC] at ESA's Space Operations Centre in
Darmstadt, Germany, and in video-conference with the other
ESA centres.

There, under the auspices of ESA Council Chair at Ministerial level,
Germany's Minister for Education and Research, Mrs Edelgard Bulmahn,
ESA's Director of the Scientific Programme, Prof. David Southwood
and the Principal Investigators of all instruments on board Mars
Express will present the first data and preliminary results.

Also a spectacular, three-dimensional video sequence, featuring famous
landmarks on the surface of Mars 'as seen through European eyes' will
be unveiled for the first time on Friday 23 January.

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690
Received on Mon 19 Jan 2004 04:37:47 PM PST