Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #MarsExpress
Most recents (9)
Space-folks, it’s time for me to wrap up! 🌌 I’ve had an absolute blast and I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve shared. This final thread will link the threads I’ve made this week so you can easily find anything. Feel free to keep in touch on my personal account (@eleniravanis)! 🔴🛰️
I started with a thread introducing myself, my background and how I got into the space field 🚀
Next, an introduction to the #MarsExpress mission and its interesting history! 🔴🛰️
Earlier I discussed some of the highlights of the #MarsExpress mission as a whole. Now, I want to share something I promised earlier this week: some of my favourite images taken by VMC @esamarswebcam! 📷🔴🛰️ Heres a 'double vortex' in 2012 near the north polar cap (📷: ESA) 
(I talked earlier in the week about what VMC is: ). In this thread I'll use a combination of VMC images available on Flickr & VMC images processed by our internal pipeline (but only where they are already in the public domain). Now: pictures of Mars! 🔴📷
Time for a close up! This is a photograph of Valles Marineris, taken by VMC in 2008 🔴📷. Processed using our internal ESAC pipeline. (📷: ESA).
Today for my last day of tweeting, I want to talk about highlights from #MarsExpress & later from @esamarswebcam! This thread will be some highlights from the mission as a whole 🙂🔴🛰️. This fantastic image is from HRSC 📸dlr.de/content/en/art… (📷: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
(I talked about the background of the #MarsExpress mission in this thread a few days ago). Now, onto some science/mission/fun highlights! 🌌🔴🛰️
First, a fun one! (sorry for *spoilers*!! 🙈) Following on from me declaring my love for 'The Martian' yesterday, HRSC 📸 on #MarsExpress mapped out the route Mark Watney takes, and also reconstructed that journey in 3D! (📷: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
Earlier today I talked about the work I do as a Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) for the VMC @esamarswebcam on #MarsExpress. In this thread, I'd like to talk more about the YGT programme and other opportunities for early career professionals to get involved with/work for ESA! 🚀🌌
So the YGT scheme (esa.int/About_Us/Caree…) is for people who have recently finished a Masters degree 🎓. The initial contract lasts for 1 year (although sometimes they can be extended for another yr, as mine was) and is a full time job working for the European Space Agency 🚀
You can apply for the scheme whilst still finishing your Masters, as I did. Every yr in November, ~100 YGT opportunities are published and remain open for a month. They are diverse- working for science, engineering, HR & more- but you can only apply to one, so choose wisely! 🤯
Hi fellow space-people! 🚀 Tuesdays are busy days for #MarsExpress (MEX), and so I'd like to take you through what I'm working on today as a Young Graduate Trainee for MEX. Later, I'll do a thread on the YGT scheme at ESA & other @esa opportunities! 🛰️ (Image credit: ESA)
As I discussed yesterday, as part of my work I get to plan observations for VMC @esamarswebcam, & that's what I'm doing today! My setup currently looks like this (the different colours on the 💻 represent different instruments, events etc, & the colours on Mars = elevation) 🔴
(When I first started, I remember my supervisor zipping through these screens with all the colours and me thinking, I'm never going to be able to understand all this 🤪 but after a few planning cycles, it all starts to make sense!) 🖥️
So earlier today I talked about what VMC @esamarswebcam is and how it came to be 📷. Now I’d like to talk about my job at @esa, and the work I do for #VMC. This is an image of me, one of my supervisors, and @jorgeherber at ESAC, as we attempt to spell out 'VMC'! 😂🔴
As I mentioned yesterday, I work as a Young Graduate Trainee at @esa for @esamarswebcam. My role involves planning science observations for this instrument 🔎, processing the data 🖥️, and archiving it 📚. So I get to be involved in the whole chain for VMC data, which is great!
For planning science observations, we use a software called MAPPS (Mission Analysis and Payload Planning System). On the left is a planned image in MAPPS 3D, & on the right is the image taken in January this year, showing a cloud over Olympus Mons volcano ☁️🌋
Hi space folks! 👋 Today I want to talk about @esamarswebcam, which is the #MarsExpress Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) instrument that I work for 📷. This first thread will be an intro to VMC & how it came to be. Later today, I'll talk about the work I do for it! 🔴😀
Yesterday, I mentioned the failed Beagle 2 lander (see linked tweet). VMC was originally put on #MarsExpress (MEX) as an engineering camera to monitor the deployment of this lander. Here's an image from VMC showing the lander's separation from MEX 📷
VMC didn’t take pictures again until 2007, when engineers at ESOC 🇩🇪 decided to switch it on again (basically bc, well, why not!!). VMC has some quirks as it wasn't designed to be a science instrument- it's in a slightly different place to the other instruments (19 deg offset)
Let's get started with a thread about the mission I work for, #MarsExpress! 🔴🛰️ Mars Express (MEX) is almost 17 yrs old, making it the 2nd oldest currently active Mars mission (Mars Odyssey is the oldest). This is an artist's impression of MEX around Mars (credit: ESA/Medialab)
MEX actually has its origins in the failed Russian Mars 96 mission. This mission included several instruments provided by European countries, but unfortunately it burned up in Earth's atmosphere due to a malfunction (details: solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-…). Below is '96 in assembly 🛰️
So, Mars 96 never made it to Mars 😞 however! European countries, particularly 🇫🇷 + 🇩🇪, had put a lot of work into making instruments for Mars 96, and ESA was keen for a Mars mission after the successful landing of NASA Pathfinder in 1997. And so through this, MEX was born 🛰️
Good morning! ☕️ I'm Eleni, I'm British + Greek 🇬🇧🇬🇷, and I currently work for @esa for the #MarsExpress mission at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Spain! 🇪🇸🌌 This first thread is going to be a bit more about my background & how I got into the space field 😀🚀
I'll just start with a bit of a disclaimer that I'll be tweeting in a personal capacity this week, which means that although I'm happy to answer questions about @esa, the views I present are my own and not that of my employer! 🙂🚀 Right, onto my background:
My BSc study was in Geography 🌍 at the University of Sheffield @sheffieldgeog (with my 2nd year spent at @anuearthscience- shout out to Canberra! 🦘). You can hear a bit more about my start in #spacegeography in this video 📹
