The European Space Agency released an unprecedented view of the frozen Martian canyon known as the Korolev crater. The Korolev crater is understood by scientists as a likely future source of water for human settlers. The impressive flyby video is painstakingly reconstructed from combined scans of the planet’s surface.
The topographic data, captured by a high-resolution stereo camera aboard the Mars Express probe, was used to produce the remarkable 3D landscape.
ESA’s Mars Express mission launched in 2003 before reaching the Red Planet six months later and has been sending images of the planet ever since.
The 82 km wide (50 mi) Korolev crater is located in the northern lowlands of Mars.
The video was produced at a resolution of 21 meters per pixel and shows the full extent of the crater.
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It’s ice-filled year-round as its floor is more than a mile deep below its edge, making it a natural cold trap that protects ice from the elements.
Korolev is believed to be one of the largest non-polar ice deposits on Mars.
The crater itself was named in honor of the Soviet chief rocket engineer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, known as the father of Russian space technology.
The video was released as a way to invite the public to “take a trip” to the Red Planet.
Starship is the prototype spaceship that is intended to fly up to 100 humans at a time to Mars when paired with the upcoming Super Heavy booster rocket.
In the email, Mr. Musk wrote: “We need to accelerate Starship’s progress dramatically and immediately.
“Consider SpaceX’s top priority (aside from anything that may reduce Dragon’s risk of return) is Starship.”
Scientists at the University of Bordeaux in France recently discovered that the number of people required for the colonization of Mars is 110.
