The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
This image was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA's Mars Express during orbit 143 from an altitude of 266 kilometres. This image was taken with a resolution of about 25 metres per pixel and centred at 222° East and 22° North. North is to the left.
This is close-up perspective view of the western flank of the shield volcano Olympus Mons in the Tharsis region of the western Martian hemisphere. This escarpment rises from the surface level to over 7000 metres.
To the north and west of the volcano, 'aureole' deposits are regions of gigantic ridges and blocks extending some 1000 kilometres from the summit like petals of a flower. The origin of the deposits has challenged planetary scientists for an explanation for decades.
The most persistent explanation, however, has been landslides. Large masses of shield material can be found in the aureole area. Several indications also suggest a development and resurfacing connected to glacial activity.
The anaglyph (3D) image has been created from the nadir channel (vertical view) and one stereo channel of the HRSC. The
colour image has been created from the nadir and three colour channels. Image resolution has been decreased to 50%.