“an unforgettable journey across the Red Planet.”

HRSC on Mars Express - Valles Marineris

Curiosity may have been on the surface of Mars for over a year, but ESA’s Mars Express has been in orbit around the Red Planet for almost a decade.  It’s one of a number of ways Mars is being observed, up close and personal.  And, like the Hi-RISE camera on Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Express has some specialised instruments on-board for that purpose.  Among them is the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC).  The stunning 3D images in this video were taken by that camera.   The video was released by the DLR German Aerospace Center in June this year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Mars Express orbiter in 2003.  Again, I recommend “full screen” mode.  Video via ESA on YouTube.  [Images Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum)]

From the accompanying text

From the highest volcano to the deepest canyon, from impact craters to ancient river beds and lava flows, this showcase of images from ESA’s Mars Express takes you on an unforgettable journey across the Red Planet.

Mars Express was launched on 2 June 2003 and arrived at Mars six-and-a-half months later. It has since orbited the planet nearly 12,500 times, providing scientists with unprecedented images and data collected by its suite of scientific instruments.

The data have been used to create an almost global digital topographic model of the surface, providing a unique visualisation and enabling researchers to acquire new and surprising information about the evolution of the Red Planet.

The images in this movie were taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera and the video was released by the DLR German Aerospace Center as part of the ten years of Mars Express celebrations in June 2013. The music has been created by Stephan Elgner of DLR’s Mars Express planetary cartography team. DLR developed and is operating the stereo camera.

At which point you might want to take another look at Time-lapse Earth… Remember, “full screen” mode.

Video credits

Music: “Manhatta” composed and performed by The Cinematic Orchestra. (All rights reserved to their respective owners.)

Film clips collected and edited by Bruce Berry.

Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center and The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

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