because of unprofessional journalism (no sources given to the origin of the pictures)

it is not clear if those pictures are real pictures taken by a space probe and send back to earth or some CGI 3D renderings! SHAME ON ALL JOURNALISTS INVOLVED!

renderings or not… it just looks amazing X-D

it shows: Mars is a harsh environment X-D (but at least with some atmosphere and at least with some sunshine and at least with some gravity 70% of earth X-D) and: it got some water – even in the form of clouds as discovered by ESA’s marsexpress (a orbiting probe that reached Mars in 2003)

 

According to ESA specialists, they were able to detect a mysterious elongated cloud on the red planet. At the same time, it is monitored for more than a month. This structure appeared in mid-September. The unusual cloud was detected using the cameras of The marsexpress space probe. auto translated from: https://zen.yandex.ru/media/murkosmosa/uchenye-esa-obnarujili-na-marse-vytianutoe-oblako-foto-5bebe605ae822f00aaafbb10

According to ESA specialists, they were able to detect a mysterious elongated cloud on the red planet. At the same time, it is monitored for more than a month. This structure appeared in mid-September. The unusual cloud was detected using the cameras of The marsexpress space probe. auto translated from: https://zen.yandex.ru/media/murkosmosa/uchenye-esa-obnarujili-na-marse-vytianutoe-oblako-foto-5bebe605ae822f00aaafbb10

long clouds on Mars of 1500 km

of “such an impressive size that could make it visible even to telescopes on Earth”

“not linked to volcanic activity but is rather a water ice cloud driven by the influence of the volcano’s leeward slope on the air flow – something that scientists call an orographic or lee cloud – and a regular phenomenon in this region”

“The formation of water ice clouds is sensitive to the amount of dust present in the atmosphere.

These images, obtained after the major dust storm that engulfed the entire planet in June and July, will provide important information on the effect of dust on the cloud development and on its variability throughout the year.”

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_keeps_an_eye_on_curious_cloud

Mars Flyover by the Orbiter

https://www.flickr.com/photos/esa_marswebcam/16037006602/in/album-72157647468474853/

http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express

official Youtube Channel of ESA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBaDdAbGlFDeS33shmlD0A

(not much about Mars there)

Mars_Express: Launch date June 2, 2003, 17:45 UTC

ExoMars: The first part of the programme is a mission launched in 2016 that placed the Trace Gas Orbiter into Mars orbit and released the Schiaparelli EDM lander.

The orbiter is operational but the lander crashed on the planet’s surface.

The second part of the programme was planned to launch in July 2020, when the Kazachok lander would have delivered the Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface, supporting a science mission that was expected to last into 2022 or beyond.[4][5][6]

On 12 March 2020, it was announced that the second mission was being delayed to 2022 as a result of problems with the parachutes, which could not be resolved in time for the launch window.

Trace_Gas_Orbiter: The orbiter began aerobraking in March 2017 to lower its initial orbit of 200 by 98,000 km (120 by 60,890 mi). Aerobraking concluded on 20 February 2018 when a final thruster firing resulted in an orbit of 200 by 1,050 km (120 by 650 mi).[10] Additional thruster firings every few days raised the orbiter to a circular “science” orbit of 400 km (250 mi), which was achieved on 9 April 2018.[11]

China:

China’s Tianwen-1 Orbiter and Rover with a weight of more than five metric tons in all (!!!) (src)

if it works – it is probably the heaviest ever payload deployed to Mars with a single rocket.

let’s see if SpaceX can topple this record with their reusable “Big Fat Rocket” (BFR renamed to Starship) “to put over 100 tons of cargo on Mars.”[15] on a single launch (src)

2020-07: China has launched it’s first Mission to Mars on it’s own Long March 5 rocket, trying to bring an orbiter to Mars orbit and a lander to Mars surface (Good Luck! It’s hard X-D)

It is expected to land on 23 April 2021[6] (proposed) (src)

Naming: from a poem called “Tianwen” means “questions to heaven,” written by Qu Yuan about 340-278 BC

Saudi Arabia/UAE:

USA: NASA’s Perseverance Rover aka “Mars 2020 Rover”

the 3rd rover that the US is sending to Mars, expected to launch on 2020-07-30 and land on 2021-02-18

Mars_2020 is a Mars rover mission by NASA‘s Mars Exploration Program that includes the Perseverance rover with a planned launch on 30 July 2020 at 11:50 UTC,[1] and touch down in Jezero crater on Mars on 18 February 2021.[2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseverance_(rover)

Perseverance (NASA): 30 July at 4:50 a.m. PT / 7:50 a.m. ET / 11:50 UTC, live coverage at planetary.org/live.

the rovers “Spirit” and “Curiosity” weigh each around 1 metric ton “The MER-A and MER-B probes were launched on June 10, 2003 and July 7, 2003, respectively.” (src)

The rovers were riding independently from each other on their own rockets “Spirit” on a Boeing Delta II 7925-9.5 rocket and “Curiosity” on Atlas V 541 (AV-028) (src)

 

Russia?

Where are you?

Hope that Russian find the way to return to space and launch their own Mars exploring probes soon too.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missions_to_Mars

https://exploration.esa.int/web/mars

Pictures of Spirit and Opportunity Rover mission to Mars:

 

(pictures are take from those videos below and sometimes color and sharpness enhanced)

Bitflips and cosmic radiation – Why the Space Shuttle had 4x identical computers and perseverance rover was powered by PowerPC CPU

Nat Geo: The Curious Life of a Mars Rover – by engineer Kobie Boykins

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