We’ve all seen the photos and images of Earth taken from space while space stations orbit our home planet. But one perspective no human has seen if the view orbiting Mars – our neighbour red planet. Now, thanks to satellite imaging taken by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe you can actually experience what it would be like to orbit the planet. The video zooms in and out on the planet as Mars spins on its axis. The Express satellite was launched in 2003 and started taking data on the planet in early 2004. The main goal of the mission was to figure out if there is or was ever any water on the planet. Originally the structure had two parts, the satellite and a lander called the Beagle 2. Beagle 2 was supposed to land on the planet on December 25, 2003 but failed. It wasn’t too much of a surprise though, since nearly half of all landing attempts have failed. The satellite side of the project however, has been quite successful and earned five extensions, the most recent going until 2014. According to measurements taken last year, the satellite has enough fuel to last another 13 years in space.
