Latest news with #Rodier
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Europe's first Mars rover will have UK-built lander
Europe's first rover to be sent to another planet is back on track to reach Mars, with the lander that will deposit it on the surface lined up to be built in the UK. The Rosalind Franklin rover – named after the scientist who played a key role in the discovery of the structure of DNA – is part of ExoMars, a European Space Agency (Esa) mission to probe whether life once existed on the red planet, and features a drill to retrieve samples, up to 4bn years old, from two metres below the surface. Initially a joint project with Roscosmos, the rover was expected to launch in 2022. However, the mission was suspended after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But rather than ditch the project, Esa reassessed it, securing more money and striking new agreements for other sources to deliver aspects that were previously to be provided by Russia. Among them, Nasa will now supply the launcher for the rover, as well as a number of other elements including the rover's radioisotope heater units (RHUs). Takeoff is expected in 2028 for arrival on Mars in 2030. Now it has been announced that the rover's landing platform will be built by Airbus at its site in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, as part of a £150m contract awarded by Esa and funded by the UK government through the UK Space Agency. The business is no stranger to the mission: Airbus built the Rosalind Franklin rover itself. But, as Caroline Rodier, the project manager of the lander, noted, getting the rover on to the Martian surface is a challenge. 'Landing on Mars is not an easy task, and the schedule is very ambitious as well,' she said. The idea is that the rover and landing platform will be contained within a capsule Rodier likens to a Kinder Egg, which also features a parachute and a heat shield. On entering the Martian atmosphere, the first parachute is deployed to slow the capsule to subsonic speeds. Then that parachute, and the capsule itself, is jettisoned before a second parachute – attached to the lander – is engaged. 'And then eventually the platform itself, when it's getting quite close [to] the soil, will effectively start firing its thruster quite hard in order to land,' said Rodier. But this landing platform is complex to design: not least as it must be slowed to less than three metres a second before touchdown. 'When you land on Mars with this kind of system, with a platform and thrusters which are firing quite hard in order to break the speed and land safely, it means that you need a propulsion system with a big throughput,' Rodier said. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'If you compare with what we've done elsewhere, which are typical spacecraft, other missions, they have a much smaller throughput. So there are challenges, because it is the first time that we are doing this kind of propulsion system.' Rodier added the team are also working on legs for the lander as well as two symmetrical ramps that will be deployed once it has touched down, allowing the Rosalind Franklin rover to leave the platform via the least risky route. Rodier added that the rover itself is currently undergoing various tweaks and upgrades now that the launch window has changed, including enhancements to its guidance and navigation control system. Paul Bate, the CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: 'This is humanity defining science, and the best opportunity to find if past life once existed on Mars. 'We're proud to have funded this world-leading technology. The ripple effects of space exploration discoveries extend far beyond the realm of space exploration, driving progress and prosperity across multiple sectors in the UK, and inspiring technological advances to benefit us all.'
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Accelerate St. Landry program helps new entrepreneurs grow business
ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. () — In recent years, there has been a big push to bring new business into St. Landry Parish. Now, more work is being put into that goal as St. Landry Economic Development brings back the . Bill Rodier, CEO of , said the program is a partnership with UL Lafayette to build a culture of entrepreneurship in the parish. The program has already been utilized successfully in St. Landry Parish in years prior as well as in Lafayette Parish. Rodier said the program shows business owners the basics, how to get resources, and various other topics throughout the six 3-hour sessions. 'The idea of the program is anywhere you're at in your small business process,' Rodier said. 'This is a six-session program that's done on Tuesday evenings and really give you a path to go forward with it.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Rodier said one of the biggest problems any new business faces is marketing, which the program addresses. 'A business plan is another part of that,' he said. 'But marketing is a component of your business plan, and a lot of people struggle with that. It'll walk you through Avenues and specific ways that you can look at some of those key questions that people have when you're looking to start a business or when they're early on in their business process.' Rodier says spots are filling up fast for attendees as they are offering the program at a reduced cost for those who sign up soon. 'St. Landry Economic Development is supplementing the cost of most of that,' Rodier said. 'So, it's a $25 cost to attend what would be a $450 session. Meals are provided in that. And again, it's a six-evening program beginning on March 11th, every Tuesday, following with that.' Fewer than than 10 spots remain for the program. Anyone interested should contact St. Landry Economic Development or to apply. Teen's medical abortion puts Louisiana, New York leaders at odds as Landry signs doctor's extradition order Humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker — and it's all captured on camera Over 100 vehicles involved in Oregon highway crash amid 'whiteout' conditions New Farmers Market coming to Abbeville RFK Jr. sworn in as HHS secretary Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
