VIENNA, 6 June (UN Information Service) – The German Aerospace Center (DLR), in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), is organizing an exhibition on "A New Perspective on Mars" in the rotunda of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) from 6 June to 5 July. The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the 49th session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

The exhibition includes large three-dimensional images of Mars in a high definition format not seen before. The images were taken by the German High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) installed onboard the European Mars Express space probe. A wide variety of information about the Red Planet and its moons, as well as about the exploration of the planet, will be presented at the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition will display models of Mars Express and the HRSC.

Mars Express is Europe's first independent mission to another planet. Since December 2003, the probe has been circling Mars to enhance human knowledge about its geology, mineralogy and atmosphere. The main objective of the mission is to search for traces of water, which in the early days of the planet must have flowed across its surface in large quantities – a search in which DLR researchers are playing a key role.

The exhibition will display the most recent images produced by Mars Express. The HRSC, one of several instruments onboard Mars Express, is the first system capable of taking photographs of planetary surfaces that combine high definition, colour and a 3-D effect. DLR is responsible for the operation of the HRSC.

The concept and content of the exhibition were designed by the experimental team at the DLR Berlin-Adlershof location in cooperation with the head of the HRSC science team at the Free University of Berlin. The images shown were developed by the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in cooperation with the Institute of Geological Sciences at the Free University of Berlin. Initiated by DLR, the exhibition was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research.

The exhibition can be viewed as part of a guided tour of the VIC.

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The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) implements the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The Office is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology. Located in Vienna, Austria, OOSA maintains a website at http://www.unoosa.org/.

To book a guided tour, contact:

UNIS Vienna Visitors Service
Telephone: +43 1 260 60 3328
E-mail: tours@unvienna.org

For information on OOSA, contact:

Qais Sultan
Associate Programme Officer, OOSA
Telephone: +43 1 260 60 4962
E-mail: qais.sultan@unvienna.org

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