This 2015 view down to the surface of Mars from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Martian dust clouds. The orbiter was not on a cloudspotting mission; it was scouting for a potential landing site for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission that was planned at the time for 2018. The dust clouds were part of an annually occurring dust-storm system we call the Acidalia storm track. They partially shrouded a region of the surface called the Hypanis Valles. The area was being considered as a landing site because the mission was to look for signs of past life, and its geological features suggest historic flows of water in valleys, lakes, and deltas. The launch for the 2018 ExoMars mission was delayed several times and finally scrapped – but there’s now a possibility it may happen in 2028. If so, let’s hope the Martian skies are dust-cloud free and favourable for landing.
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