This is just the latest imaging sent back to Earth via the ESA’s MArs Express spacecraft and it’s letting scientists map out the red planet like never before. This particular area is called Noctis Labyrinthus or the “Labyrinth of the Night,” an area of vein-like valleys and canyons that stretch as far as the eye can see.
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00:00 No, this isn't a drone video captured over the Sahara or some other terrestrial desert.
00:09 This is just the latest imaging sent back to Earth via the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft
00:14 and it's letting scientists map out the red planet like never before.
00:18 This particular area is called Noctis Labryntis or the Labyrinth of the Night, an area of
00:23 vein-like valleys and canyons that stretch as far as the eye can see.
00:27 People say it was formed when ancient volcanoes caused the region to bubble up.
00:30 That bulge in the Martian crust put enough stress on the planet's tectonics that the
00:34 whole shell of the area became thinner, causing what almost appears to be cracks in the surface
00:38 of the planet.
00:39 And while you can't tell from a flyby, other subsurface imaging has revealed that some
00:43 of them extend much deeper underground than you might expect, with some of them reaching
00:47 depths of more than 16,400 feet.
00:50 This is all part of the Mars Express spacecraft's mission to map the red planet's surface,
00:54 which is part of the ESA's first planetary mission.
00:57 It was launched way back in 2003, but it's still clearly hard at work, sending back incredible
01:02 images of Mars more than 20 years later.
01:04 [music]