Summary: Although the Schiaparelli lander was not as successful as hoped and plummeted into the surface of Mars rather than gently landing, the satellite it was released from is still working and returning new images of the surface of the planet. This Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) is orbiting the planet and using it's impressive cameras to send us back images with a resolution of 2.8 metres per pixel. The camera's principal investigator, Nicolas Thomas, compared it to "flying over Bern at 15,000km/h and simultaneously getting sharp pictures of cars in Zurich."
Other sensors on board will also be investigating the atmospheric gases and looking for water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide among other chemical species. The goal is to detect possible signs of microbial life on the surface and detect the presence of hydrated minerals.
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