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| New views of the Martian ionosphere |
| High above the main body of Mars' atmosphere is a region of weakly ionised gas, known as the ionosphere. For the last eight years this poorly understood region has been observed by instruments on board ESA's Mars Express orbiter, and new studies show that the dayside ionosphere is more variable and more complex than previously thought. |
| Date: 15 Nov 2012 |
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| Where is Deimos? |
| Despite more than a century of observations, the orbit of the Martian moon Deimos is still not known to a high degree of accuracy, but a new study using images taken by ESA's Mars Express orbiter has provided the best orbital model to date. |
| Date: 24 Sep 2012 |
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| Planetary missions probe giant eruptions in the Sun's corona |
| Scientists have probed the corona of the Sun by studying the disturbances that it causes to radio transmission from three of ESA's planetary missions: Mars Express, Venus Express and Rosetta. The measurements were performed on several occasions, when each of the spacecraft was located behind the Sun as viewed from Earth. In particular, five coronal mass ejections were detected with Mars Express in 2004. Analysis of these data has revealed the morphology of these colossal solar eruptions in great detail, complementing the view that can be achieved via direct imaging of the Sun's corona. |
| Date: 24 Jul 2012 |
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| Craters expose action of groundwater beneath Martian highlands |
| A new study of the ancient, cratered highlands of Mars has detected numerous exposures of minerals that were altered by underground water during the planet's early history. The data indicate that subsurface water persisted for prolonged periods of time during the first billion years of the planet's existence. |
| Date: 27 Jun 2012 |
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| Mars Express explores the roots of Martian volcanoes |
| Recent analysis of radio signals sent back by ESA's Mars Express orbiter has enabled a team of Belgian and German scientists to probe deep beneath the surface of Mars. The first targeted, high resolution measurements of Martian gravity provide new insights into the formation of the planet's massive volcanoes. |
| Date: 26 Apr 2012 |
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| A glow in the Martian night throws light on atmospheric circulation |
| A faint, infrared glow above the winter poles of Mars is giving new insights into seasonal changes in the planet's atmospheric circulation. The tell-tale night emission was first detected in 2004 in observations made by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer on ESA's Mars Express orbiter. |
| Date: 23 Mar 2012 |
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| Return to full science operations |
| Following a permanent anomaly affecting the onboard solid-state mass memory system on Mars Express, efforts to implement a work-around are almost complete. Full science operations have been resumed and the potential mission lifetime remains unaltered. |
| Date: 15 Feb 2012 |
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| Mars radar finds possible ocean sediments |
| The MARSIS radar instrument on board ESA's Mars Express orbiter has discovered a subsurface blanket of low density material around the north polar cap, supporting theories that the northern lowlands of Mars were once covered by a large body of water. |
| Date: 06 Feb 2012 |
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| MARSIS completes measurement campaign over Martian North Pole |
| The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board Mars Express has recently completed a subsurface sounding campaign over the planet's North Pole. The campaign was interrupted by the suspension of science observations several times between August and October due to safe modes and to anomalies in the operation of the spacecraft's Solid-State Mass Memory (SSMM) system. As MARSIS best observes in the dark, which for the North Pole only occurs every few years, it was among the first instruments to resume observations once a partial work-around for the problems had been implemented. |
| Date: 14 Dec 2011 |
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| Mars Express observations temporarily suspended |
| Anomalies in the operation of the solid-state mass memory system on board Mars Express have caused science observations to be temporarily halted. A technical work-around is being investigated that will enable the resumption of a number of observations and should evolve into a long-term solution. |
| Date: 31 Oct 2011 |
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| ESA orbiter discovers water supersaturation in the Martian atmosphere |
| New analysis of data sent back by the SPICAM spectrometer on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has revealed for the first time that the planet's atmosphere is supersaturated with water vapour. This surprising discovery has major implications for understanding the Martian water cycle and the historical evolution of the atmosphere. |
| Date: 29 Sep 2011 |
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| Europe maintains its presence on the final frontier |
| ESA has decided to extend the productive lives of 11 of its operating space science missions. This will enable ESA's world-class science missions to continue returning pioneering results until at least 2014. |
| Date: 22 Nov 2010 |
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| Impacts reveal minerals from warm, wet Mars |
| An international team, led by European scientists, has found new evidence confirming that conditions favourable to life once existed all over Mars. Detailed studies of hydrated minerals found inside impact craters show that liquid water was widespread not only in the southern highlands, but also beneath the planet's northern plains. |
| Date: 24 Jun 2010 |
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| Phobos flyby images |
| Images from the recent flyby of Phobos, on 7 March 2010, are released today. The images show Mars' rocky moon in exquisite detail, with a resolution of just 4.4 metres per pixel. They show the proposed landing sites for the forthcoming Phobos-Grunt mission. |
| Date: 15 Mar 2010 |
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| Mars Express to make closest ever approach to Phobos |
| On 3 March 2010 Mars Express will make its closest ever approach to Phobos, the larger of the two Martian moons. During a series of flybys, spanning six weeks, all seven instruments onboard Mars Express will be utilised to study Phobos. The close approach provides a first opportunity to perform a unique gravity experiment that may reveal the distribution of mass within this intriguing moon. |
| Date: 24 Feb 2010 |
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| Two windows on ozone: extending our view of the Martian atmosphere |
| New measurements of ozone in the atmosphere of Mars are being obtained in a coordinated observation campaign with Mars Express and a Hawaiian-based telescope. The combined observation set covers a longer time period and broader range of regions on Mars than previous campaigns, thereby improving the ability to verify and refine detailed models of the Martian atmosphere. |
| Date: 16 Feb 2010 |
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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. |
| Date: 07 Oct 2009 |
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| MARSIS data reveal new method to measure the magnetic field of Mars |
| Unusual signals detected by the Mars Express MARSIS instrument have been used to determine the magnetic field strength of Mars. In a forthcoming issue of Icarus, Ferzan Akalin and colleagues demonstrate how the MARSIS instrument can be used as a magnetometer - an unexpected application with important consequences for studies of local plasma effects and the Mars Express spacecraft environment. |
| Date: 22 Sep 2009 |
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| Reconciling methane variations on Mars |
| Since the discovery of its presence in the Martian atmosphere, methane has remained an intriguing atmospheric component which source (either of biotic or abiotic origin) is not yet fully understood. The recently reported variations in the concentration of atmospheric methane have proven difficult to explain with 3-D numerical models of the atmosphere that include the known chemical and physical processes. In a paper published this week in Nature, Franck Lefèvre and François Forget present their study to derive the implications of the observed methane concentrations on Mars and their variability. They conclude that there needs to be both an intense localised source of methane and a destruction mechanism that is much more efficient than the known atmospheric processes that break down methane. Further, if this efficient destruction of methane occurs only close to the surface, these findings imply a very harsh environment for organic molecules to survive on the surface of Mars. |
| Date: 06 Aug 2009 |
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| ESA extends missions studying Mars, Venus and Earth's magnetosphere |
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.
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| Date: 09 Feb 2009 |
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