DLR Portal - Mars Express

Landslides and lava flows on Olympus Mons

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:22:39 +0200

Huge landslides, lava flows and tectonic forces have generated the stunning landscape seen in these images acquired by the DLR-operated HRSC camera system on board the Mars Express spacecraft.

Explosive 'twin' craters on Mars

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0200

Intense underground steam explosions that occurred during the crater formation process could be responsible for the central depressions present in these 'twin' craters, located on Thaumasia Planum, an elevated plateau that lies immediately to the south of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the Solar System.

Wind – a shaping force on Mars

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:03:38 +0100

The northern hemisphere of Mars is a single, massive lowland with only a few distinctive landscape features. Frequent, intense dust and sand storms are recurrent here over the course of the seasons. When this happens, the wind transports very small particles, which are either deposited in other locations, or, if they encounter rock, leave their mark through the effects of erosion.

Fire and ice in the red valley

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:21:58 +0100

On 13 January 2013 the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, imaged the mouth of the Tinto Vallis region of Mars, southwest of Palos Crater.

Glacial transportation of rubble and boulders through Reull Vallis

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:55:39 +0100

As we look at the numerous graben and valleys that wind through the Martian highlands, it is not always clear which geological processes created them.

Winter atmosphere on Mars

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:58:17 +0100

Observing a seasonal phenomenon has its own special appeal on Mars. As the planet's rotational axis has a slightly greater inclination to that of Earth, our planetary neighbour experiences distinct seasons too – except these last around twice as long since it takes nearly two Earth years for Mars to orbit the Sun.

Signs of water, ice and wind in Nereidum Montes

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:56:23 +0100

Nereidum Montes, a chain of mountains over 1000 kilometres long, is part of the northern rim of Argyre Basin, the second largest impact basin on Mars. On 6 June 2012, the HRSC camera on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, which is operated by DLR, photographed a part of this mountain range

Valles Marineris – the largest canyon in the Solar System

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 12:49:17 +0200

Mars is clearly much smaller than Earth, but it can still come up with impressive superlatives. Several landscape features have unquestionably enormous dimensions – at over 21 kilometres in height, Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the Solar System; the Hellas impact basin is more than 2000 kilometres across and eight kilometres deep – but particularly spectacular is the Valles Marineris canyon system

Ice-clad beauty on the 'Silver Island' of Mars

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:56:15 +0200

On 8 June 2012, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, acquired images of a region inside the Argyre Impact Basin, which is 1800 kilometres across and five kilometres deep.

Hadley Crater – closing in on the Martian interior

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:21:28 +0200

Hadley Crater on Mars has been subject to several impacts by large asteroids in the course of its history. The 'craters within a crater' formed in this way give us a view over two kilometres into the Martian crust.

Vast volumes of water once flowed in Ladon Valles

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0200

On 27 April 2012, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft acquired images of part of Ladon Valles. These images show an area north of the Holden and Eberswalde craters in Mars' southern highlands.

Mars Express – butterfly ejecta and wrinkle ridges in Melas Dorsa

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:46:42 +0200

On 17 April 2012, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) operated by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft acquired images of a region in Melas Dorsa.

Yardangs in Danielson Crater – indicators of climate changes on Mars?

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:30:00 +0200

The Arabia Terra region on Mars is populated with numerous craters, filled with deposits of various materials that, over time, have become severely eroded. The latest images acquired by the HRSC camera show many features of this kind, known as 'yardangs', in Danielson Crater; the different types of material these contain could be explained by changes in the climate.

Valles Marineris Explorer – using a robotic swarm to explore Mars

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:50:00 +0200

Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the Solar System and a potential refuge for extraterrestrial life, is 7000 metres deep and stretches for some 4000 kilometres along the Martian equator.