Editing Mars Express (section)

=== Control unit and data storage ===
The spacecraft is run by two Control and Data management Units with 12 gigabits<ref name="ref1" /> of solid state mass memory for storage of data and housekeeping information for transmission. The on-board computers control all aspects of the spacecraft functioning including switching instruments on and off, assessing the spacecraft orientation in space and issuing commands to change it.

Another key aspect of the ''Mars Express'' mission is its [[artificial intelligence]] tool (MEXAR2).<ref name="ESA1">{{cite web |title=Artificial Intelligence Boosts Science from Mars |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Artificial_intelligence_boosts_science_from_Mars |publisher=ESA |date=April 29, 2008 |access-date=March 29, 2016 }}</ref> The primary purpose of the AI tool is the scheduling of when to download various parts of the collected scientific data back to Earth, a process which used to take ground controllers a significant amount of time. The new AI tool saves operator time, optimizes [[Bandwidth (signal processing)|bandwidth]] use on the [[Deep Space Network|DSN]], prevents data loss, and allows better use of the DSN for other space operations as well. The AI decides how to manage the spacecraft's 12 gigabits of storage memory, when the DSN will be available and not be in use by another mission, how to make the best use of the DSN bandwidth allocated to it, and when the spacecraft will be oriented properly to transmit back to Earth.<ref name="ESA1" /><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1109/MIS.2007.75 |url=http://mexar.istc.cnr.it/mexar2/publications/mexar2-ieee-intsys.pdf |title=Mexar2: AI Solves Mission Planner Problems |journal=IEEE Intelligent Systems |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=12–19 |first=Amedeo |last=Cesta |date=2007 |s2cid=14477705 |access-date=December 7, 2011 |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305230348/http://mexar.istc.cnr.it/mexar2/publications/mexar2-ieee-intsys.pdf }}</ref>