The latest Mars image mosaic as seen through the lens of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum); images processed by F. Jansen (ESA).
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter is a busy bird.
Thanks to its high-resolution camera system, the spacecraft has imaged nearly 90% of Mars’ surface.
Assuming that good atmospheric conditions coincide with the appropriate orbits, Mars Express scientists hope that they might fill in the remaining gaps in the map in the coming years.
The European orbiter celebrates ten years circling the red planet this coming June.
A mosaic of Mars has been issued, made of 2,702 individual swaths of the Martian surface.
Many well-known geological features are revealed. Towards the top left stands Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system at over 21 km high. A chain of three volcanoes making up the Tharsis Montes lies just below and to the right.
Also, moving further right again uncovers the solar system’s largest canyon, Valles Marineris. This giant cavern plunges 10 km deep and runs over 4,000 km.
Take your own eye sky dive on Mars by going to:
http://spaceinimages.esa.int/Images/2013/02/Mapping_Mars
By Leonard David