First-of-its-kind Mars livestream by ESA spacecraft interrupted at times by rain on Earth
By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A European spacecraft around Mars has sent its first livestream from the red planet to Earth to mark the 20th anniversary of its launch. But rain in Spain interfered at times. The European Space Agency broadcast the livestream Friday of Mars Express. It took nearly 17 minutes for each picture to reach Earth, nearly 200 million miles away, and another minute to get through the ground stations. The transmission was disrupted at times by weather in Spain, home to the deep space-relay antenna. ESA says live footage from so far away is rare.