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Mars Express Orbiter: 20 Years Earth Farewell

Earth Farewell as seen on the night of 3 July, 2003

Earth Farewell as seen on the night of 3 July, 2003
Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

News from Jul 03, 2023

20 years ago, on the night of 3 July 2003, the Mars Express spacecraft was pointed backwards to obtain this breathtaking view of the Earth-Moon system from a distance of 8 million kilometers while on its way to Mars. This image was the first picture of planetary objects obtained by the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). Although the spatial resolution was low at this great distance, the picture gave a good indication of what to expect from Mars Express in its orbit around Mars. Today, after more than 24.000 orbits around our red neighbor, the camera is still in good health and mapping Mars in color and in stereo!


» Press Archive July 17, 2003

» Read more about Mars Express Mission

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