Latest news with #ExoMars
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Mars exploration: Why ESA are testing tech in the Highlands
Scientists hunting for life on Mars are focussing their attention on somewhere a bit unexpected. They have been testing high-tech equipment - not in a special simulator or mock up of the red planet - but in the remote town of Lower Diabaig in the Scottish Highlands. And why? Because rocks on the banks of Loch Torridon are similar to those on the surface of Mars and perfect for testing their tech. And that tech includes parts from a special rover just like one they're aiming to drive on Mars itself."Before we send any technology to Mars, we want to put it through its paces, and understand how well it works and how [best] to use the data we get from it", said Dr Claire Cousins, who is part of the testing team. Dr Claire Cousins is from the University of St Andrews and is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) on the ExoMars Mission. According to Dr Cousins, the team of international scientists are setting themselves a "big goal", trying to understand the ancient environment from about four billion years ago. The trials have included cameras of the type to be used as the rover's "eyes", and kit that can detect ancient biology preserved in the Cousins explains there are only a few places on Earth that are suitable for this kind of testing, and these billion-year-old mudstone are perfect. "They haven't been cooked and squeezed and crushed under mountain belts."They have been beautifully preserved - a slice of time," she said. "We don't know yet if there was ever life on Mars, but these are the kinds of rocks that are going to preserve it," Claire added. What is the Mars mission all about and when will it take place? The ExoMars rover was due to land on Mars back in 2021 but complications meant it's launch has had to be delayed until 2028. If all goes to plan, the rover will land on Mars in 2030. It is the first time scientists in Britain have built a rover. It will drill into the surface of Mars in order to study the composition of the planet, and investigate whether there was once life there.
The National
11-05-2025
- Science
- The National
Mars rover technology tested out in Scottish Highlands
A team from the University of St Andrews has been testing equipment in Lower Diabaig in Torridon, where there are rocks that are billions of years old and similar to those found on Mars. The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to send a robotic rover to Mars to study its geology and look for fossils and minerals, the BBC reports. So far, the trials in Torridon have considered the type of cameras which should be used as the rover's "eyes", as well as tests on equipment that can detect ancient biology preserved in the rock. READ MORE: Update as huge wildfire continues to burn in West Lothian amid 'extreme warning' The robot is named after London-born scientist Rosalind Franklin, who died in 1958. ESA said the missions would tackle the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. The project, known as the ExoMars programme, is made up of two missions. The First, called Trace Gas Orbiter, was launched in 2016. The second mission has a target launch of 2028 and aims to land the rover on Mars. Many geological areas and features on Mars have been named by Nasa after places on Earth, including in Scotland. Some of the names taken from Scotland include Torridon, Holyrood, Siccar Point, Muck, Wick and Sandwick. Dr Claire Cousins, from the University of St Andrews, said the rare geology around Lower Diabaig was "ideal" for testing the rover. READ MORE: I visited Donald Trump's ancestral homeland. This is what I learned about him She told BBC Scotland's Landward programme: "The rocks haven't metamorphosed right, they haven't been cooked and squeezed and crushed under mountain belts. "They have been beautifully preserved – a slice of time. "We don't know yet if there was ever life on Mars, but these are the kinds of rocks that are going to preserve it."
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Mars rover technology tested out on West Highland rocks
Technology which will be used in the search for evidence of life on Mars has been tested in the Scottish European Space Agency (ESA) plans to send a robotic rover to the Red Planet to study its geology - and look for fossils and minerals.A University of St Andrews team has been testing equipment in Lower Diabaig, in Torridon, where there are rocks that are billions of years old and similar to those found on trials have included of cameras of the type to be used as the rover's "eyes", and kit that can detect ancient biology preserved in the rock. The ExoMars programme comprises two first, called Trace Gas Orbiter, was launched in 2016 while the second has a target launch of 2028, and aims to land the rover on the robot is named after London-born scientist Rosalind Franklin, who died in said the missions would tackle the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. Dr Claire Cousins of the University of St Andrews said mission technology needed rigorous testing on Earth to make sure it would work on the red said the rare geology around Lower Diabaig was "ideal" as a told BBC Scotland's Landward programme: "The rocks haven't metamorphosed right, they haven't been cooked and squeezed and crushed under mountain belts."They have been beautifully preserved - a slice of time."The rocks include billion-year-old mudstone and other rocks which are stacked one on top of the other in Cousins said: "These are perfect for showing us there was once liquid water - a habitable environment for life."Also, these rocks are very good at capturing evidence of that ancient past biology. It's sandwiched between the rocks."She added: "We don't know yet if there was ever life on Mars, but these are the kinds of rocks that are going to preserve it." Seven years ago a Nasa Mars rover, Curiosity, explored a part of the planet named after geological areas and features have been named by Nasa after places on of the names were taken from Scotland and, as well as Torridon, there is a Siccar Point, Muck, Wick, Sandwick and Holyrood on chose the name Torridon due to the Torridonian Supergroup, a geological formation in the north-west Highlands that contains some of the oldest evidence of life of any rocks in the 2012, Glenelg held a celebration in honour of a location on Mars being named after the small Highland community.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Europe's life-hunting ExoMars rover gets new landing platform to replace canceled Russian craft
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Europe's life-hunting Mars rover just got a new ride to the Red Planet's surface. The European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Sunday (March 30) that it has picked Airbus to design and build the landing platform for its life-hunting Mars rover Rosalind Franklin, which is scheduled to launch in 2028. Rosalind Franklin is a key piece of the ExoMars project, which was originally a partnership between ESA and Russia. Europe cut those ties shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, however, requiring key mission parameters to be reformulated. Chief among those parameters were the launch vehicle, originally a Russian Proton rocket, and the landing platform, a Russian craft named Kazachok. Both are now out of the picture. Related: Europe will issue new ExoMars lander contract in a few months for beleaguered Mars rover (exclusive) Airbus teams in the United Kingdom will design the new ExoMars lander, which includes the landing platform and the propulsion system that will help slow Rosalind Franklin down on its way to the Martian surface, among other components. "Getting the Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years' work," Kata Escott, managing director at Airbus Defense and Space, U.K., said in an ESA statement. "The mission will supercharge our space know-how in the U.K. and will advance our collective understanding of our solar system." The Airbus lander contract is worth 150 million pounds (about $194 million US), according to the U.K. Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. RELATED STORIES: — ExoMars: Europe's astrobiology missions to Mars — Europe's ExoMars rover unlikely to launch before 2028 — Europe ending cooperation with Russia on life-hunting Mars rover Rosalind Franklin is Europe's first-ever Red Planet rover. The wheeled robot will hunt for signs of Mars life with a variety of instruments and other gear, including a drill that will allow it to collect samples the lie up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) beneath the world's surface. Rosalind Franklin will launch from the United States aboard a rocket selected by NASA, as the agency is a mission partner. If all goes according to plan, the rover will touch down in 2030 in Oxia Planum, a plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars that harbors evidence of past water activity.
Broadcast Pro
02-04-2025
- Science
- Broadcast Pro
Airbus to build key systems for ESA's ExoMars lander
Airbus designed and built the Rosalind Franklin rover in the bio-burden cleanroom in Stevenage, before delivering it to TAS in 2019. Airbus has been chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), the ExoMars industrial prime contractor, to develop crucial systems for the ExoMars lander. This lander will safely deliver the Rosalind Franklin rover to the Martian surface. Following atmospheric entry, descent and a parachute-assisted braking phase, the Airbus-built landing platform will ensure a controlled touchdown on Mars and facilitate the rovers deployment onto the surface. Kata Escott, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space UK said: 'Getting the Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years work. We are proud to have built the rover in our state-of-the-art Stevenage cleanroom and delighted now to develop the project to ensure its safe delivery to Mars. Rosalind Franklin will be the first Martian rover able to analyse samples from two metres below the surface in its search for past or present life. The mission will supercharge our space know-how in the UK, and will advance our collective understanding of our solar system.' UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle added: 'This inspiring example of world-class British science will bring us one step closer to answering long-asked questions on potential life on Mars. Landing the first ever home-grown rover on Mars, Airbus will not only help Britain make history and lead the European space race but also bring hundreds of highly skilled jobs and investment as we secure Britains future through our Plan for Change.' Under TASs leadership, Airbus teams in Stevenage will design the mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems essential for a safe landing in 2030. This includes the landing structure, a propulsion system for final braking thrust, and landing gear to stabilise the lander upon touchdown. The platform will feature two deployable ramps on opposite sides, allowing the rover to select the safest descent route onto the Martian surface. Airbus engineers in Stevenage have built over 120 propulsion systems for more than 90 spacecraft, supporting telecoms, Earth observation, science and exploration missions. The ExoMars system will use retro rockets to reduce the landers descent speed from 45m/s after the parachute phase to under 3m/s before touchdown. Airbus originally designed and built the Rosalind Franklin rover in its bio-burden cleanroom in Stevenage, delivering it to TAS in 2019. While the mission was initially scheduled for launch in 2022, it was postponed due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Now, Airbus is collaborating with TAS, ESA and NASA to upgrade the rover ahead of its revised 2028 launch on a NASA-supplied rocket. Updates include integrating NASAs Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs) to maintain warmth on Mars and introducing a software mode that enables the rover to quickly transition to autonomous operation after landing. The mission is scheduled to land in 2030, strategically avoiding the planets global dust season.
