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
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This oblique perspective view was generated from the digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express. It shows a region of Mars known as Acheron Fossae. The valley on the right shows signs of glacial flow, where ice and rock mixtures flow downhill away from the ridge. The cliffs formed as the planet's crust shifted and stretched, causing chunks of ground to fall away.
ALT-text: A perspective view of the Acheron Fossae region of Mars
Image description: The image is tan in colour. A bank of rock can be seen in the background, filling the upper fifth of the image. A steep, gnarled cliff-line extends towards the viewer in the centre of the frame, ending in a point, while another sloped cliff can be seen to the right. The ground is smooth and marked with wavy lines (signs of flowing rock) and small circular holes caused by craters.