The Odyssey of Mars Express: Charting Two Decades of Red Planet Exploration

For decades, astronomers wondered about water on Mars. Thanks to Mars Express, much of the speculation has been replaced with facts. The MARSIS instrument has shown that many of Mars’ upper layers contain water ice, as well as abundant water ice in polar regions – reservoirs or ice never seen before. Credit: ESA

This is an impression of the completely deployed MARSIS experiment on board ESA’s Mars Express orbiter. Its two 20-meter booms and the 7-meter booms are sprung out and locked into place. Credit: ESAMars Express’ longevity is no accident.

Shortly after launch, a problem with Mars Express’ solar array wiring led to only 60% of the expected power being available. This setback required the control team to develop an entirely new mission concept within the six months it took to reach Mars, adjusted the power settings, and managing to increase it to around 70%.On its way to Mars, the spacecraft was also recovered from several Safe Modes, and during the deployment of the MARSIS radar boom, the first part became stuck.

The Visual Monitoring Camera underwent significant modifications and improvements, transforming it from a mere engineering camera to a fully operational science instrument. This rehabilitation allowed for valuable scientific observations and image capture during the mission. Credit: ESA.

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