Search Results for: exomars

ExoMars: Images of InSight lander and more

Posted on March 14, 2019 by rburnham

Curious surface features, water-formed minerals, 3D stereo views, and even a sighting of the InSight lander showcase the impressive range of imaging capabilities of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, launched three years ago … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2020: FiT for Mars

Posted on February 28, 2019 by rburnham

Rovers are versatile explorers on the surface of other planets, but they do need some training before setting off. A model of Rosalind Franklin rover that will be sent to Mars in 2021 is scouting the Atacama Desert, in Chile, … Continue reading →

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ExoMars rover named for Rosalind Franklin

Posted on February 7, 2019 by rburnham

The ExoMars rover that will search for the building blocks of life on the Red Planet has a name: Rosalind Franklin. The prominent scientist behind the discovery of the structure of DNA will have her symbolic footprint on Mars in … Continue reading →

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ExoMars: Eberswalde Crater delta

Posted on February 4, 2019 by rburnham

This intricate structure of an ancient river delta once carried liquid water across the surface of Mars. The distinctive form of a delta arises from sediments that are deposited by a river as it enters slower-moving water, like a lake … Continue reading →

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ExoMars rover software passes ESA Mars Yard driving test

Posted on January 17, 2019 by rburnham

Navigation software destined for the ExoMars 2020 mission to the Red Planet has passed a rover-based driving test at ESA’s ‘Mars Yard.’ ESA’s ExoMars rover will drive to multiple locations and drill down to two metres below the surface of … Continue reading →

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ExoMars: Rover fitness trials in Spanish desert

Posted on November 28, 2018 by rburnham

The sun set on a week of trials for the ExoMars rover prototype named Charlie (in the foreground). The first of two field trials for the mission, known as ExoFiT, took place in the Tabernas desert in Spain between 13-26 … Continue reading →

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ExoMars: Oxia Planum landing site favored

Posted on November 9, 2018 by rburnham

[Ed. note: See also here.] The ExoMars Landing Site Selection Working Group has recommended Oxia Planum as the landing site for the ESA-Roscosmos rover and surface science platform that will launch to the Red Planet in 2020. The proposal will be … Continue reading →

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Sandstone outcrops seen with the ExoMars PanCam emulator

Posted on November 5, 2018 by rburnham

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, November 1, 2018: Peter Fawdon (The Open University, U.K.). PanCam (Coates et al., 2017) is the imaging instrument on the 2020 ExoMars rover and consists of two wide angle cameras; (WAC’s) and a High … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: An ExoMars landing site

Posted on October 31, 2018 by rburnham

HiRISE plays an important role in finding suitable landing sites for future rover missions. Scientists have narrowed down the candidate landing sites for the upcoming European ExoMars rover mission to two regions: the plains of Oxia and Mawrth Vallis. Images … Continue reading →

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ExoMars: Measures radiation risk for Mars astronauts, watches dust storm subside

Posted on September 19, 2018 by rburnham

Astronauts on a mission to Mars would be exposed to at least 60% of the total radiation dose limit recommended for their career during the journey itself to and from the Red Planet, according to data from the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars … Continue reading →

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