European Space Agency extends its missions to Mars and Venus
The European Space Agency has announced that its missions to explore our two nearest neighbour planets Mars and Venus will continue until May 2009. The decision was taken by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Programme Committee in recognition of the outstanding legacy that Mars Express and Venus Express are building for future generations of scientists, it said. Both missions have allowed an amazing amount of scientific discoveries of the highest quality, the space agency added. So far, the results of the Mars Express mission include the first subsurface radar sounding of another planet; and the first comprehensive study of the mineralogical composition of a planet's surface. As for the Venus Express mission, currently only halfway through its planned nominal mission, has revealed features never detected in such detail before. These include the huge 'double-eyed' atmospheric vortex at Venus South Pole and its 3-D structure. Mars Express was launched on 2 June, 2003, and reached Mars six months later. Venus Express was launched 9 November 2005, and arrived at its destination after a five-month journey.