Introduction to special section: OMEGA/Mars Express Mars Surface and Atmospheric Properties

摘要

OMEGA, the European Space Agency/Mars Express visibleear-infrared (VIS/NIR) spectral imager, has been operating since January 2004 and by April 2007 had mapped Mars over almost 1000 orbits. Although only a limited data reduction has yet been achieved, some important results have already been derived that contribute to the understanding of Mars evolution at all timescales, from the seasonal atmospheric cycles up to the geological history. In this special section we present both global overviews and regional studies.