Editing Mars Express (section)

==== 2006 ====
* September 21: The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has obtained images of the [[Cydonia (region of Mars)|Cydonia region]], the location of the famous "[[Cydonia Mensae|Face on Mars]]". The massif became famous in a photo taken in 1976 by the American ''Viking 1'' Orbiter. The image recorded with a ground resolution of approximately 13.7 metres per pixel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Cydonia_-_the_face_on_Mars|title=Cydonia – the face on Mars|publisher=[[ESA]]|date=September 21, 2006|access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

* September 26: The ''Mars Express'' spacecraft emerged from an unusually demanding eclipse introducing a special, ultra-low-power mode nicknamed 'Sumo' – an innovative configuration aimed at saving the power necessary to ensure spacecraft survival. This mode was developed through teamwork between ESOC mission controllers, principal investigators, industry, and mission management.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_successfully_powers_through_eclipse_season|title=Mars Express successfully powers through eclipse season|publisher=[[ESA]]|date=September 26, 2006|access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

* October: In October 2006 the ''Mars Express'' spacecraft encountered a superior solar conjunction (alignment of Earth-Sun-Mars-orbiter). The angle Sun-Earth-orbiter reached a minimum on October 23 at 0.39° at a distance of 2.66 [[Astronomical unit|AU]]. Operational measures were undertaken to minimize the impact of the link degradation, since the higher density of electrons in the solar plasma heavily impacts the radio frequency signal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issfd.org/ISSFD_2007/10-3.pdf|title=EFFECTS ON SPACECRAFT RADIOMETRIC DATA AT SUPERIOR SOLAR CONJUNCTION|last1=Morley|first1=Trevor|last2=Budnik|first2=Frank|publisher=European Space Operations Centre}}</ref>

* December: Following the loss of NASA's ''[[Mars Global Surveyor]]'' (MGS), ''Mars Express'' team was requested to perform actions in the hopes of visually identifying the American spacecraft. Based on last [[ephemeris]] of MGS provided by JPL, the on-board high definition HRSC camera swept a region of the MGS orbit. Two attempts were made to find the craft, both unsuccessful.