Tag Archives: ExoMars 2018

HiRISE: Candidate ExoMars landing site near Aram Dorsum

Posted on September 26, 2017 by rburnham

Candidate ExoMars landing site near Aram Dorsum. Beautiful Mars series.

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ExoMars 2018 mission slips to July 2020 launch

Posted on May 2, 2016 by rburnham

[The launch of the second phase of the ExoMars mission, scheduled for 2018 has been pushed back to 2020.] (…) The second ExoMars mission involves a Russian-led surface platform and a European-led rover, also to be launched on a Proton … Continue reading →

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ESA rover tests navigation on Dutch beach

Posted on December 2, 2015 by rburnham

An array of strange, sharp-edged rocks appeared suddenly on a sandy beach near ESA’s technical centre as part of an ambitious test of robotic rover technology. Rovers for Mars and other destinations will operate much too far from Earth for … Continue reading →

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Payload chosen for ExoMars 2018 lander & rover

Posted on November 27, 2015 by rburnham

Two European instruments and four European contributions on two Russian instruments have been selected for the Russian-led science platform that will land on Mars as part of the ESA–Roscosmos ExoMars 2018 mission. The first of the two ExoMars mission is … Continue reading →

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ESA: On the rim of Schiaparelli Crater

Posted on November 23, 2015 by rburnham

A 42 km-wide impact crater and numerous smaller craters straddle the northwestern rim of the 460 km-diameter Schiaparelli basin in this image taken by ESA’s Mars Express on 15 July 2010. The large basin is named for Italian astronomer Giovanni … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2018: Test rover in CNES Mars Yard

Posted on November 5, 2015 by rburnham

Every journey begins with a single step – or in this case a downward trundle. The ‘egress’ of Europe’s ExoMars 2018 rover off its lander will be the second most stressful moment of the mission after Mars landing. So to … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2018: Testing rover egress to surface

Posted on October 28, 2015 by rburnham

One small step for a robot: getting a robotic rover off its lander will be the next most nerve-wracking moment for Europe’s 2018 ExoMars mission after landing. This week a simulation stretching between France and the Netherlands will let ESA’s Planetary … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Catastrophically cratered

Posted on October 27, 2015 by rburnham

Catastrophically cratered.  Candidate future landing site in the Oxia Palus region. Beautiful Mars series.

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ExoMars 2018 rover heading for Oxia Planum

Posted on October 21, 2015 by rburnham

Oxia Planum has been recommended as the primary candidate for the landing site of the ExoMars 2018 mission.  [HiRISE imaged the Oxia Planum landing site last summer.] ExoMars 2018, comprising a rover and surface platform, is the second of two … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2018: Landing site choices to narrow

Posted on October 12, 2015 by rburnham

Later this month, scientists and engineers will meet to choose which two, of four possible landing sites for the ExoMars 2018 mission, should be retained as candidates. ExoMars is a joint two-mission endeavour between ESA and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. … Continue reading →

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