"ACQUISITION OF ORBITER SIGNAL! #ESOC hears @ESA_TGO's signal loud & clear after it emerges from behind #Mars #ExoMars"
Also a photo of some very happy space people.
Edit: another tweet saying they'll need around 2 hours of data to confirm that they've reached orbit, confirmation at 20:30 CEST (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/788781863687036928). Space is somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster.
Note that the lander is Schiaparelli, TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) is just the "mothership" which it uplinks to; TGO achieving orbit, though, is still a special achievement.
TGO is the actual mission. The lander's just a technology demo --- important for the next ExoMars mission rover, but it was only going to last a few days anyway.
Schiaparelli being lost is a 'well, go figure' moment; TGO being lost is an utter disaster.
Unfortunately landers are sexy, while science-rich orbiting probes aren't, so it's Schiaparelli that's getting all the press.
i think it's more of a case of 'good news is no news' - failures are naturally more interesting than just saying that everything went according to the plan and we only have a few pics to show for it.
Whilst that's true, the popular coverage before the landing (judged entirely from the BBC News home page) focused exclusively on the lander attempt rather than the orbiter.
"#MarsExpress recording of @ESA_EDM descent is now processed and is being analysed by experts at #ESOC #ExoMars"
...then...
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/788780512089432064
"ACQUISITION OF ORBITER SIGNAL! #ESOC hears @ESA_TGO's signal loud & clear after it emerges from behind #Mars #ExoMars"
Also a photo of some very happy space people.
Edit: another tweet saying they'll need around 2 hours of data to confirm that they've reached orbit, confirmation at 20:30 CEST (https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/788781863687036928). Space is somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster.