ESA & ROSCOSMOS - ExoMars Mission patch.
Feb. 28, 2021
Giant tornadoes - dust whirlwinds are a constant phenomenon on the surface of Mars. These two photographs, taken 45 seconds apart on February 27, 2019 by the CaSSIS camera aboard the Trace Gas Orbiter of the Russian-European mission ExoMars-2016, show two moving tornadoes.
Bright spots move along the bottom of a 70-kilometer crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars, leaving behind a dark streak. Also visible are the moving shadows of two pillars of dust. The vortex on the left side of the frame is moving at a speed of about 4 meters per second, while the vortex on the right is moving at a speed of 8 meters per second.
Animation above: Mars dust devils in action. Animation Credits: : ROSCOSMOS/ESA
Frequent dust tornadoes blow off the top layer of dust, leaving a kind of web of footprints on the surface. Martian dust vortices form in much the same way as on Earth: when the surface becomes hotter than the air above it, currents of hot air move through the colder, denser air, creating an upward current. The cold air then descends, creating vertical circulation. This flow spins up as a result of a horizontal gust of wind. Having gained sufficient speed, the vortex can draw in dust and carry it over the surface.
Martian tornadoes, however, are much larger than their terrestrial "counterparts" - on the Red Planet they can reach eight kilometers in height, leaving behind traces tens to hundreds of kilometers wide. Their enormous size makes it extremely efficient to lift dust high into the Martian atmosphere. The study of tornadoes on Mars is extremely important and interesting in order to understand how they could affect the climate on the planet over time.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)
The ExoMars project is a joint project of the Roscosmos State Corporation and the European Space Agency. It is implemented in two stages. The first mission was launched into space in 2016. It included two spacecraft. The first orbital Trace Gas Orbiter for observing the planet's atmosphere and surface since spring 2018 is in working orbit near Mars. The second is the Schiaparelli landing module for testing landing technologies; its mission ended abnormally.
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/30089/
ESA's & ROSCOSMOS ExoMars: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars
Animation, Image, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/ESA/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
