14 DAY TRIAL // The European Space Agency released an archive image from the Rosetta deep-space probe yesterday, February 25, to mark the 7th anniversary of the spacecraft's slingshot maneuver around Mars. Rosetta has since spent 2 years and 7 months in hibernation.
The image above was collected by the Philae lander aboard Rosetta on February 25, 2007 at around 0215 GMT, and shows portions of a 14-meter (46-foot) solar array that provides the vehicle with power.
The photo was taken while the probe was flying around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from the Red Planet. The point of closest approach between the two was 250 kilometers (155 miles). The maneuver gave the spacecraft a speed boost significant enough to set it on its way to meet up with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in August 2014.
In the background, you can easily distinguish the Mawrth Vallis region on the northern hemisphere of Mars. This area has been the target of observations with both NASA and ESA spacecraft around Mars, due to the interesting minerals it contains.
Geologists say that these rocks could have only formed in the presence of liquid water. The discovery was first made by the ESA Mars Express orbiter, which has been studying the Red Planet since 2003.