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
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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
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This figure shows the thermal radiation spectra measured during the global dust storm during Mars Express orbit 4479 (represented by the black curve), and during the final phase of a small dust storm (shown by the blue curve), measured during orbit 71. The data is shown as thermal brightness, in degrees Kelvin.
During the global dust storm, the upper atmosphere is warmer than usual (spectral region A), while the temperature close to the soil is colder than usual ( spectral region B).