Ferrari blasts into the record books with Mars Express
2 June 2003
At 19.45
CET on 2 June 2003, Ferrari began its fantastic journey to the Red Planet
in spectacular style - on board Mars Express, the first European mission
to Mars.
The spacecraft
was successfully launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan this evening on
board a Soyuz/Fregat launcher. It is now reaching its cruising speed of
up to 10 800 kilometres per hour. At such a speed, the journey to Mars
will take just six months, with Mars Express arriving at the Red Planet
on Christmas Day.
The mission
is a first for Europe and for Ferrari. Ferrari agreed to provide the symbol
of its success - a sample of its famous red paint - inside FRED, a specially
constructed glass globe. This globe was attached to the inside of the
spacecraft. FRED has been designed to withstand the extreme motions during
the launch and the extreme temperatures it will encounter on its exciting
journey through space.
The progress
of the first fully European mission will be watched by millions of people
worldwide. Just like a Ferrari F1 racing car, Mars Express is equipped
with technology that is second to none. Using this technology, Mars Express
aims to solve many of the age-old mysteries about the Red Planet, and
ultimately discover whether life exists, or ever existed, on Mars. Studying
the secrets of this desolate, inhospitable planet will also help us determine
whether Earth is destined to a similar fate in the future.
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