TAG | Venus and Mars are alright tonight |
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| by Stephen Withers | |
| Wednesday, 28 February 2007 | |
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Among its other achievements, Mars Express has provided evidence of volcanic and glacial activity, and its use of radar to probe beneath the surface revealed underground ice. Continuing observations from Mars Express will be useful in determining landing sites for future expeditions from virtually the entire planet. The extension of the Venus Express mission will allow coverage of the planet's entire atmosphere, and should determine whether Venus is still volcanically active. It will also enable a more thorough investigation of the greenhouse effect. Results so far include the first systematic infra-red observations of the surface and an examination of the complex atmospheric structures. Mars Express was launched in June 2003; Venus Express in November 2005. Both missions were originally planned to end in late 2007.{moscomment}
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