Mars Express

2012-01-18T02:19:40Z

218.211.38.242: /* Instrumentation */

[[Image:Mars Express X orbit 2a-new.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Artists impression of the Mars Express orbiter]]

'''Mars Express''' was launched on June 2, 2003 from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] (Kazakhstan) on a [[Soyuz-Fregat rocket]] to search for water and the possibility of Martian life. Consisting of a low-cost orbiter and lander, ''Mars Express'' is a [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) mission to the Red Planet involving a consortium of countries (primarily France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Spain, and the United States). In February 2007, ''Mars Express'' was granted a second mission extension until May 2009.

==Mission Overview==
[[Image:Mars express logo.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Official [[ESA]] Mars Express mission logo.]]
''Mars Express'' was a two-component mission consisting of the ''Mars Express Orbiter'' and [[Beagle 2]] lander. Unfortunately, the ''Beagle 2'' lander failed on entry into the Martian atmosphere and was lost on Christmas Day, 2003. The crash site of ''Beagle 2'' was later imaged by [[NASA]]'s [[Mars Global Surveyor]] in a crater near the planned landing site of the equatorial region known as [[Isidis Planitia]]. Despite this early loss, the ''Mars Express orbiter'' continues on its mission to explore the Martian surface.

Mars Express will be providing support for the [[NASA]] [[Phoenix]] lander when it arrives on Mars in mid-2008.

Good job making it appaer easy.

== Scientific Discoveries ==

Mars Express has made several important discoveries during its mission:

* Detection of [[water]] in the southern polar icecap using OMEGA (2004)
* Detection of [[methane]] & [[ammonia]] in the Martian atmosphere using PFS (2004)
* Location of an area of water ice near the north pole using HRSC (2005)
* Mapping the [[water|location and thickness of water ice]] in the south pole with the MARSIS instrument (2007)

It has also carried out a wide variety of other important observations which have increased understanding of the Martian atmosphere and geology.

I really wish there were more artilces like this on the web.

Marspedia - User contributions [en]

Mars Express