ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, on a five-year mission, recently delivered a captivating image of three perfectly aligned craters, from smallest to largest—a sight that sparks scientific curiosity.
Launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2016, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) continues its mission through 2022, equipped with advanced instruments like the CaSSIS imager that captures daily images of Mars. On August 6, 2021, ESA released a stunning photo from March 22, 2021, showcasing three craters of increasing size in the Lunae Planum region (latitudes 0°–30° N, longitudes 270°–315° E). This area is renowned for its thick lava deposits likely originating from the nearby Tharsis Montes volcanoes.
These craters are interpreted as remnants of ancient lava flows, providing direct evidence of Mars' past volcanic vigor.
This image offers more than visual appeal—it unlocks Mars' history. Close examination of the largest craters reveals layered rims, likely from multiple successive lava flows, indicating intense volcanic episodes. Planetologists use this stratification, combined with prior data, to reconstruct the region's—and planet's—geological timeline.
Science confirms Mars' ancient seismic and volcanic activity, but current activity remains hotly debated. Recent studies challenge the notion of a dormant planet, suggesting Mars may still harbor subtle dynamism.
In March 2020, ESA and Roscosmos delayed the ExoMars 2020 mission to 2022 due to technical readiness. It aims to deploy a 300kg rover to detect water or hydrated materials and retrieve a core sample up to two meters deep from the Martian surface.
