NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Express to Mars

Hurtling toward its destination, the high resolution camera on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft [ http://www.esa.int/…index.html ] recorded this tantalizing view [ http://www.esa.int/…SEMN3GUZJND_0.html ] of the Red Planet earlier this month on December 3rd. Seen from a distance of 5.5 million kilometers, features across part of Mars' [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] western hemisphere are bathed in sunlight. The Martian night [ http://www.giss.nas…] side is also prominent from the spacecraft's perspective, a view not possible for Earthbound [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] telescopes. Launched on an interplanetary voyage [ http://www.esa.int/…SEMNS75V9ED_0.html ] of exploration in early June, Mars Express carries with it the Beagle 2 lander [ http://sci.esa.int/…index.cfm?fobjectid= 34374 ], scheduled to be released from Mars Express tomorrow, December 19th. Mars Express and Beagle 2 will then continue the journey separately, but both are scheduled to reach Mars on December 25th, with Mars Express entering an elliptical orbit [ http://www.jpl.nasa…] and Beagle 2 descending to the Martian surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Two more invaders from Earth, NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers [ http://marsrovers.j…], will arrive in January.

Mars Express [ http://www.esa.int/…index.html ], ESA [ http://www.esa.int/…]

Mars

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Earth

Mars

Beagle 2

Mars Express

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap031218