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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Экспресс на Марс http://www.variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1195601/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Mars Express,
ESA
Explanation:
Hurtling toward its destination, the high resolution camera
on board ESA's
Mars Express spacecraft recorded
this tantalizing view
of the Red Planet earlier this month on December 3rd.
Seen from a distance of 5.5 million kilometers,
features across part of Mars' western
hemisphere are bathed in sunlight.
The
Martian night
side is also prominent
from the spacecraft's perspective, a view not possible for
Earthbound telescopes.
Launched on an
interplanetary voyage of exploration
in early June, Mars Express carries with it the
Beagle 2 lander, 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
and Beagle 2 descending to the
Martian surface.
Two more invaders from Earth, NASA's
Mars
Exploration Rovers, will arrive in January.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.