Mars Express TT&C Contingency Operations - Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst

The Telemetry, Tracking and Commanding (TT&C) system on any spacecraft is critical to operations as it is the only thing linking us to the spacecraft from ground. Therefore the response to a failure in the TT&C system especially requires a high level of autonomy and preparation both on board and on ground given that any failure could temporarily or permanently sever the link to the spacecraft and cut-off any opportunity to recover or troubleshoot from ground.