OTD In Space - October 19: ExoMars Mission Arrives at the Red Planet

On this day, in space. In 2016, the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission arrived at Mars. ExoMars consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli Lander. The orbiter and lander traveled there together and separated on October 16th, three days before the orbiter entered orbit around Mars, and the lander touched down on the planet's surface. But something went wrong during the lander's descent, and it crashed into the ground. Schiaparelli did not survive the accident, but the Trace Gas Orbiter is still functional. It is currently circling the planet looking for methane and other gases in the Martian atmosphere that could be evidence for possible biological activity. And that's what happened on this day in space.