ESA : Noctis Labyrinthus stereo pair .- Par estéreo Noctis Labyrinthus

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/03/Noctis_Labyrinthus_stereo_pair
http://www.esa.int/esl/ESA_in_your_country/Spain/Vision_en_estereo_de_Noctis_Labyrinthus
                               

Noctis Labyrinthus stereo pair

Visión en estéreo de Noctis Labyrinthus

14 marzo 2017

ExoMars salió de la base kazaja de Baikonur a bordo de un cohete Proton-N el 14 de marzo de 2016. Unos siete meses después, la nave llegó a Marte. 

Como parte de los preparativos de su misión científica principal —analizar la atmósfera en busca de gases relacionados con actividad biológica o geológica, y los lugares donde se encuentran esas fuentes de gases— el Satélite para el estudio de Gases Traza (TGO) ha llevado a cabo dos campañas para probar sus instrumentos científicos: una el pasado mes de noviembre y otra la semana pasada. 

Aquí vemos uno de los primeros pares de imágenes tomados por la cámara de alta resolución del orbitador el día 22 de noviembre. 

Las imágenes superior e inferior conforman un par estéreo que muestra parte de la región marciana de Noctis Labyrinthus. La cámara primero toma una fotografía apuntando ligeramente hacia delante (en este caso, la imagen inferior) y, a continuación, tras haber sobrevolado el área, rota para apuntar hacia atrás y tomar la segunda parte de la imagen (superior); así, se captura la misma región de la superficie desde dos ángulos distintos. 

Al combinar este par de fotografías, se construye una imagen en 3D y se obtiene información sobre las alturas relativas de las formaciones en la superficie del planeta. 

Las fotografías fueron tomadas con la idea de comprobar la temporización de la cámara a medida que el satélite sobrevuela la superficie, para optimizar así la reconstrucción de las imágenes estéreo. La semana pasada se llevaron a cabo pruebas adicionales para perfeccionar el proceso. 

La región de Noctis Labyrinthus, o ‘Laberinto de la noche’, se encuentra en el límite occidental de Valles Marineris, el gran cañón del Sistema Solar, y comprende una vasta red de mesetas y simas. Se han observado deslizamientos de tierra en los flancos de sus pronunciadas pendientes. 

Desde su llegada, el orbitador también ha realizado una serie de maniobras para cambiar su periodo orbital y su inclinación, y ya está listo para comenzar esta misma semana la fase de aerofrenado, que durará un año. En este proceso, aprovechará la atmósfera del planeta para ir decelerando gradualmente hasta llegar a una órbita casi circular a 400 km de Marte, desde donde llevará a cabo la misión científica principal. 

Las imágenes se tomaron con la cámara CaSSIS, a una escala de 7,2 m/píxel, y abarcan un área de Marte de unos 15 x 45 km.

 

English Versión :

 

(5.24 MB)

Details

• Title Noctis Labyrinthus stereo pair
• Released 13/03/2017 4:00 pm
• Copyright ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
• Description
  ExoMars was launched on a Proton-M rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 14 March 2016. Around seven months later, it arrived at Mars.
  As part of preparations for its main science mission to analyse the atmosphere for gases that may be related to biological or geological activity, and image sites that might be related to these sources, the Trace Gas Orbiter has conducted two campaigns to test its science instruments – one last November and one last week.
  Presented here is one of the first image pairs taken by the orbiter’s high-resolution camera on 22 November.
  The images together form a stereo pair of part of the Noctis Labyrinthus region of Mars. The camera takes one image looking slightly forwards (bottom image in this orientation), and then, after having flown over the area, it rotates to look ‘back’ to take the second part of the image (top), in order to see the same region of the surface from two different angles.
  By combining the image pair, a 3D image can be constructed and information about the relative heights of the surface features can be seen.
  The images were taken to test the timing of the images as the spacecraft moves over the surface, in order to best reconstruct the stereo images. Additional tests were conducted last week to fine-tune the process.
  Noctis Labyrinthus, or ‘Labyrinth of the night’, lies on the western edge of Valles Marineris, the grand canyon of the Solar System, and comprises a vast network of flat-topped plateaus and trenches. Landslides are seen in the flanks of the steep slopes.
  Since arriving, the orbiter has also conducted a number of manoeuvres to change its orbital period and inclination, ready to begin the year-long aerobraking phase later this week. This process will use the planet’s atmosphere to gradually slow the spacecraft speed and so move it into a 400 km near-circular orbit, from which the craft will conduct its main science mission.
  The images were taken by the CaSSIS camera; the scale here is 7.2 m/pixel and the images correspond to an area on Mars about 15 x 45 km.
• Id 374513

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ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com   

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ESA : ExoMars orbiter images Phobos .- Imágenes del Satélite Fobos de Marte por ExoMars orbiter

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/ExoMars_orbiter_images_Phobos
http://www.esa.int/esl/ESA_in_your_country/Spain/El_orbitador_de_ExoMars_fotografia_Phobos
                                

Primera imagen en color de Phobos tomada por ExoMars

El orbitador de ExoMars fotografía Phobos

6 diciembre 2016

El Satélite para el estudio de Gases Traza (TGO) de ExoMars ha fotografiado la luna marciana Phobos durante el segundo conjunto de mediciones científicas de prueba realizado desde su llegada al Planeta Rojo el día 19 de octubre. 

El TGO, fruto de la colaboración entre ESA y la agencia rusa Roscosmos, llevó a cabo sus primeras mediciones científicas de calibración entre el 20 y el 28 de noviembre.

La semana pasada se publicaron datos de ejemplo de la primera órbita, centrados en el propio planeta. Durante la segunda órbita, los instrumentos realizaron una serie de mediciones de Phobos, una luna de 27 × 22 × 18 km que gira a tan solo 6.000 km de Marte. 

 

Phobos en 3D

 

El 26 de noviembre, la cámara del TGO capturó imágenes de esta luna a una distancia de 7.700 km, en el tramo de su órbita más cercano a Marte. Durante su órbita elíptica de 4,2 días, el TGO llega a situarse a 230-310 km de la superficie en el momento del periastro y a alejarse hasta unos 98.000 km en el apoastro.

La imagen compuesta en color se ha creado a partir de varias imágenes individuales tomadas con distintos filtros. Estos filtros se han optimizado para destacar las diferencias en la composición mineralógica, que en la imagen procesada se ven en tonos más azules o rojos.

También hay un anaglifo creado a partir de un par estereoscópico de imágenes, que puede verse con gafas 3D de color rojo-azul. 

“Aunque otras misiones, como las sondas Mars Express de la ESA y Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter de la NASA, han aportado imágenes en mayor resolución de Phobos, las capturadas en esta nueva órbita han servido para probar adecuadamente lo que podemos conseguir con nuestros datos en muy poco tiempo”, afirma Nick Thomas, investigador principal del equipo de la cámara CaSSIS de la Universidad de Berna, Suiza.

“Las imágenes nos han proporcionado una gran cantidad de información práctica sobre la calibración del color de la cámara y su temporización interna”.

Otros dos instrumentos también han llevado a cabo mediciones de calibración de Phobos, cuyos datos están siendo analizados por los equipos.

“Estamos muy satisfechos con los resultados de las dos órbitas científicas de prueba; además, los datos de calibración nos servirán para mejorar las mediciones una vez que comencemos con la misión científica principal el año que viene”, añade Håkan Svedhem, científico del proyecto TGO de la ESA. 

 

Segunda órbita científica de ExoMars

 

La misión ahora vuelve a centrarse en los preparativos para el aerofrenado, necesario para que el satélite entre en su órbita casi circular a finales de 2017. En breve ofreceremos más detalles sobres las próximas operaciones.

El principal objetivo científico del TGO es elaborar un inventario detallado de los gases poco comunes de la atmósfera, que constituyen menos del 1% de su volumen, incluyendo metano, vapor de agua, dióxido de nitrógeno y acetileno.

Resulta de especial interés el metano, que en la Tierra se produce sobre todo por actividad biológica y, en menor medida, durante procesos geológicos, como ciertas reacciones hidrotermales. 

La nave también buscará agua o hielo bajo la superficie, y ofrecerá imágenes contextuales en color y estereoscópicas de las formaciones superficiales, incluyendo aquellas que pudieran estar relacionadas con posibles fuentes de gases traza.

El TGO también funcionará como relé de datos para vehículos y robots actuales y futuros en Marte, como la segunda misión ExoMars, que incluirá un rover y una plataforma científica de superficie, y cuyo lanzamiento está previsto para 2020. 

 

Para más información: Nicolas Thomas
Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern
Correo electrónico: nicolas.thomas@space.unibe.ch
Håkan Svedhem
ESA ExoMars TGO Project Scientist
Correo electrónico: hakan.svedhem@esa.int
Markus Bauer








ESA Science and Robotic Exploration Communication Officer









Teléfono: +31 71 565 6799









Móvil: +31 61 594 3 954









Correo electrónico: markus.bauer@esa.int

ExoMars first colour image of Phobos

 

ENGLISH VERSION:

ExoMars orbiter images Phobos

6 December 2016

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has imaged the martian moon Phobos as part of a second set of test science measurements made since it arrived at the Red Planet on 19 October.

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos, made its first scientific calibration measurements during two orbits between 20 and 28 November.

Example data from the first orbit were published last week, focusing on Mars itself. During the second orbit, the instruments made a number of measurements of Phobos, a 27×22×18 km moon that orbits Mars at a distance of only 6000 km.

 

Phobos in 3D

 

The camera imaged the moon on 26 November from a distance of 7700 km, during the closest part of the spacecraft’s orbit around Mars. TGO’s elliptical orbit currently takes it to within 230–310 km of the surface at its closest point and around 98 000 km at its furthest every 4.2 days.

A colour composite has been created from several individual images taken through several filters. The camera’s filters are optimised to reveal differences in mineralogical composition, seen as ‘bluer’ or ‘redder’ colours in the processed image.

An anaglyph created from a stereo pair of images captured is also presented, and can be viewed using red–blue 3D glasses.

“Although higher-resolution images of Phobos have been returned by other missions, such as ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, this provided a good test of what can be done with our data in a very short time,” says Nick Thomas, principal investigator of the CaSSIS camera team at the University of Bern.

“The images have given us a lot of useful information about the colour calibration of the camera and its internal timing.”

Two other instruments also made calibration measurements of Phobos, and the teams are analysing their data.

“We’re very happy with the results of both test science orbits and will be using these calibration data to improve our measurements once we begin the main science mission later next year,” adds Håkan Svedhem, ESA’s TGO Project Scientist.

 

ExoMars science orbit 2

The focus of the mission now returns to preparations for aerobraking required to bring the spacecraft towards its near-circular science orbit by the end of 2017. More details on the upcoming operations will be provided soon.

TGO’s main scientific goal is to make a detailed inventory of rare gases that make up less than 1% of the atmosphere’s volume, including methane, water vapour, nitrogen dioxide and acetylene.

Of high interest is methane, which on Earth is produced primarily by biological activity, and to a smaller extent by geological processes such as some hydrothermal reactions. 

The spacecraft will also seek out water or ice just below the surface, and will provide colour and stereo context images of surface features, including those that may be related to possible trace gas sources.

TGO will also act as a data relay for present and future landers and rovers on Mars, including the second ExoMars mission that will feature a rover and surface science platform, and which is scheduled for launch in 2020.

  ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com

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ESA : ESA’s new Mars orbiter prepares for first science .-ESA’s new Mars orbiter, se prepara para su primer trabajo de ciencia.....

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/ESA_s_new_Mars_orbiter_prepares_for_first_science

Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars

ESA’s new Mars orbiter prepares for first science

18 November 2016

The ExoMars orbiter is preparing to make its first scientific observations at Mars during two orbits of the planet starting next week.

The Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos, arrived at Mars on 19 October. It entered orbit, as planned, on a highly elliptical path that takes it from between 230 and 310 km above the surface to around 98 000 km every 4.2 days.

The main science mission will only begin once it reaches a near-circular orbit about 400 km above the planet’s surface after a year of ‘aerobraking’ – using the atmosphere to gradually brake and change its orbit. Full science operations are expected to begin by March 2018.

But next week provides the science teams with a chance to calibrate their instruments and make the first test observations now the spacecraft is actually at Mars.

 

Trace Gas Orbiter instruments

 

In fact, the neutron detector has been on for much of TGO’s cruise to Mars and is currently collecting data to continue calibrating the background flux and checking that nothing changed after the Schiaparelli module detached from the spacecraft.

It will measure the flow of neutrons from the martian surface, created by the impact of cosmic rays. The way in which they are emitted and their speed on arriving at TGO will tell scientists about the composition of the surface layer.

In particular, because even small quantities of hydrogen can cause a change in the neutron speed, the sensor will be able to seek out locations where ice or water may exist, within the planet’s top 1–2 m.

The orbiter’s other three instruments have a number of test observations scheduled during 20–28 November.

During the primary science mission two instrument suites will make complementary measurements to take a detailed inventory of the atmosphere, particularly those gases that are present only in trace amounts.

Of high interest is methane, which on Earth is produced primarily by biological activity or geological processes such as some hydrothermal reactions. 

The measurements will be carried out in different modes: pointing through the atmosphere towards the Sun, at the horizon at sunlight scattered by the atmosphere, and looking downwards at sunlight reflected from the surface. By looking at how the sunlight is influenced, scientists can analyse the atmospheric constituents.

 

TGO’s first image of Mars – 13 June 2016

 

In the upcoming orbits there are only opportunities for pointing towards the horizon or directly at the surface. This will allow the science teams to check the pointing of their instrument to best prepare for future measurements.

There is the possibility that they might detect some natural nightside airglow – an emission of light in the upper atmosphere produced when atoms broken apart by the solar wind recombine to form molecules, releasing energy in the form of light.

During the second orbit, the scientists have also planned observations of Phobos, the larger and innermost of the planet’s two moons.

Finally, the camera will take its first test images at Mars next week. In each of the two orbits, it will first point at stars to calibrate itself for measuring the planet’s surface reflectance.

How TGO's camera takes stereo images

 

Then it will point at Mars.

Given the current elliptical orbit, the spacecraft will be both closer to and further from the planet than during its main science mission. Closest to the planet, it will be travelling faster over the surface than in its final circular orbit, which presents some challenges in timing when the images should be taken.  

The camera is designed to capture stereo pairs: it takes one image looking slightly forwards, and then the camera is rotated to look ‘back’ to take the second part of the image, in order to see the same region of the surface from two different angles. By combining the image pair, information about the relative heights of the surface features can be seen.

Next week, the camera team will be checking the internal timing to help programme commands for future specific scientific observations. The high speed and changing altitude of the elliptical orbit will make stereo reconstruction challenging, but the team will be able to test the stereo rotation mechanism and the various different camera filters, as well as how to compensate for spacecraft orientation with respect to the ground track.

There are no specific imaging targets in mind, although near the closest approach of the first orbit the orbiter will be flying over the Noctis Labyrinthus region and it will attempt to obtain a stereo pair. In the second orbit, it has the opportunity to capture images of Phobos. 

Ultimately, the camera will be used to image and analyse features that may be related to the trace gas sources and sinks, to help better understand the range of processes that may be producing the gases. The images will also be used for looking at future landing sites.

“We’re excited we will finally see the instruments perform in the environment for which they were designed, and to see the first data coming back from Mars,” says Håkan Svedhem, ESA’s TGO Project Scientist.

After this brief science instrument demonstration period, which also serves as a test for relaying this data back to Earth, along with data from NASA’s Curiosity and Opportunity rovers, the focus turns back to operations and the preparations required to for aerobraking next year.

For further information, please contact:

Håkan Svedhem
ESA ExoMars TGO Project Scientist
Email: hakan.svedhem@esa.int

Markus Bauer








ESA Science and Robotic Exploration Communication Officer









Tel: +31 71 565 6799









Mob: +31 61 594 3 954









Email: markus.bauer@esa.int

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ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
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ESA : Call for media: ExoMars arrives at the Red Planet .- Llamado a los medios de comunicación: ExoMars llega al planeta rojo

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Call_for_media_ExoMars_arrives_at_the_Red_Planet

ExoMars 2016 approaching Mars

Call for media: ExoMars arrives at the Red Planet

7 October 2016

The ExoMars 2016 mission will enter orbit around the Red Planet on 19 October. At the same time, its Schiaparelli lander will descend to the surface. Representatives of traditional and social media are invited to attend a two-day event at ESA’s ESOC control centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

ExoMars is a joint endeavour between ESA and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, and comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator.

TGO will make a detailed inventory of Mars’ atmospheric gases, with particular interest in rare gases like methane, which implies that there is an active, current source. TGO aims to measure methane’s geographical and seasonal dependence and help to determine whether it stems from a geological or biological source.

TGO will start its science mission at the end of 2017, following a year of complex aerobraking manoeuvres to circularise its orbit. It will also act as a relay for ESA’s ExoMars 2020 rover.

Schiaparelli will separate from TGO on 16 October, entering the atmosphere for a six-minute descent to a region in Meridiani Planum, on 19 October.

 

Access the video

 

 

It will test a range of technologies to enable a controlled descent and landing on Mars in preparation for future missions, including a heatshield, a parachute, a propulsion system and a crushable structure.

Schiaparelli also carries a small science package that will record the wind speed, humidity, pressure and temperature at its landing site, as well as obtain the first measurements of electric fields on the surface of Mars that may provide insight into how dust storms are triggered.

The separation of Schiaparelli from TGO will be covered online. Media are invited to join mission experts at ESOC on 19 October to follow the orbit insertion of TGO and the landing of Schiaparelli, and to attend a briefing on 20 October when the first descent camera images are expected.

Provisional schedule at ESOC, 19–20 October

(all times in CEST, programme/times subject to change)

19 October
15:00–22:00 (Doors open at 14:00)

The event programme for media and ExoMars project members will bring both groups together to follow the highlights of the orbit insertion of TGO and of the entry, descent and landing of Schiaparelli. During the programme confirmations for mission success of TGO and Schiaparelli are expected. On stage, ExoMars engineers and scientists from ESA, Roscosmos and partner agencies will relay the technical and operational challenges of landing on Mars and will explain the scientific questions that are driving these ambitious Mars robotic exploration programme. Operational status updates will be broadcasted live from the ExoMars control room into the stage programme.

There will be live video connections to an Italian ExoMars event taking place in Rome and to the postflight tour of ESA astronaut Tim Peake, who will stop by in London.

The event will also be live-streamed online at

http://esa.int

and will be broadcasted over satellite.
A special ESA social-TV programme will be available via Facebook Live on ESA’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ESA.

20 October
10:00–11:00 (Doors open at 09:00)

This media briefing will summarise the events of the night before, during which more telemetry and data are expected to arrive from TGO and Schiaparelli. ExoMars engineers, scientists and project managers will provide briefings on TGO and Schiaparelli. Images taken during the descent from Schiaparelli will also be presented.

The media briefing will be streamed live online at

http://esa.int

and broadcast over satellite.

Media accreditation
Media representatives holding a valid press-ID should register here.

Social media users such as Youtubers, Tweeps, Bloggers, etc. may apply for social media credentials here.
Given the expected high demand and limits owing to logistical, security and health and safety constraints, it is possible that not all applications will be successful. Applicants will be informed whether they have been successful at the latest on 11 October.

Follow online
Separation will be reported online on 16 October at 17:20 GMT /19:20 CEST.

The media briefings scheduled for 19 and 20 October will be live streamed via

http://esa.int.

Realtime coverage of operational milestones in the lead up to separation on 16 October through until landing and orbit insertion on 19 October and in the days after will be provided in a frequently updated article at

http://esa.int/exomars.

Milestones will also be reported via Twitter and Facebook. Follow @esaoperations, @ESA_TGO, @ESA_EDM and @ESA_ExoMars or #ExoMars.

A special ESA social-TV programme will be available on ESA’s Facebook page at

 http://www.facebook.com/ESA

For detailed background information on the mission, see:

http://exploration.esa.int/mars/

For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99
Email: media@esa.int

ESA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

ayabaca@gmail.com

ayabaca@hotmail.com

ayabaca@yahoo.com

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