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!
A showcase of some of the first and highest resolution images acquired by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on 22 November 2016.
The first image sequence shown was taken at a distance of 5300 km with a resolution of 60 m/pixel, about 44 minutes before closest approach. It illustrates how CaSSIS acquires data by taking images in colour simultaneously: at panchromatic, red, near-infrared and blue wavelengths.
A 3D reconstruction of a small area in Noctis Labyrinthus is also presented, based on a stereo pair of images taken, and presented with an altitude map with a resolution of less than 20 m.
Next, a spectacular high-resolution image sequence acquired during closest approach of 235 km altitude is presented. At this time, the spacecraft was flying over the Hebes Chasma region. The highest resolution data acquired is at 2.8 m/pixel. The flyover is shown at half the speed at which the data were acquired.
Then, an image swath about 25 km wide is shown of Arisa Chasmata, which is located on the flanks of a large volcano on Mars named Arsia Mons.
Finally, a close up of a 1.4 km-diameter crater sitting in the rim of a much larger crater near the Mars equator is presented. This image was acquired at 7.2 m/pixel.
This video was produced by the CaSSIS camera team and the University of Bern.