ESA & ROSCOSMOS - ExoMars Missions patch.
Jan 15, 2022
Photo: Roscosmos/ESA/CaSSIS (Click on the image for enlarge)
This image of part of the 79 km diameter Richie crater in the Proteus region of Mars was taken by the CaSSIS camera of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of the joint Russian-European mission ExoMars 2016.
The image shows the central uplift of the crater, which emerged from the depths during the impact, which formed the crater itself - and a lot of the debris that also arose from the impact. These fragments are also called "breccia" - crushed fragments of the planet's rocky surface, cemented by finer-grained material.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). Image Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has already found signs and minerals in this crater that suggest that there was once water here. Ritchie Crater is located at 309.06°E/28.13°S, south of the Mariner Valleys, where TGO has also recently found massive amounts of water, either in the form of ice or hydrated minerals.
TGO entered orbit around Mars in 2016 and began its scientific work in 2018. The spacecraft not only transmits impressive images, but also provides a detailed analysis of the planet's atmospheric gases and surface mapping in search of places that may contain water. It will also provide data relay for the ExoMars 2022 mission, which will bring the European rover Rosalind Franklin and the Russian landing platform Kazachok to Mars in 2023.
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/33831/
ROSCOSMOS - ExoMars-2016: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/exomars-2016/
European Space Agency (ESA) ExoMars: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/ESA/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
