Tag Archives: Rosalind Franklin

ExoMars rover ready for environmental tests

Posted on August 27, 2019 by rburnham

The Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover has completed its construction activities in the UK and will now depart to France for testing under the conditions of the Red Planet’s environment. The final pieces of the rover’s scientific suite of instruments were … Continue reading →

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Australian Outback as testbed for Mars

Posted on August 23, 2019 by rburnham

This week, scientists from NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 mission joined their counterparts from the joint European-Russian ExoMars mission in an expedition to the Australian Outback, one of the most remote, arid regions on the planet. Both teams came to hone … Continue reading →

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ExoMars rover: All instruments now onboard

Posted on August 20, 2019 by rburnham

The full suite of scientific instruments, including cameras that will give us our eyes on Mars, the drill that will retrieve pristine soil samples from below the surface, and the onboard laboratory that will seek out signs of life are … Continue reading →

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ExoMars rover: Moving on Mars

Posted on August 16, 2019 by rburnham

The ExoMars mission will see Rosalind Franklin the rover and its surface platform Kazachok land on the Red Planet in 2021. From fine-grained soil to large boulders and slopes, the rover has to be able to move across many types … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2020 radio science instrument tested

Posted on July 23, 2019 by rburnham

An ambitious instrument for ESA’s ExoMars 2020 mission has passed its testing in conditions resembling those on the Red Planet. It will now be transported to Russia for its acceptance review, followed by integration onto the Kazachok Surface Platform, scheduled … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2020: Progress and challenges

Posted on July 1, 2019 by rburnham

The full parachute system that will help deliver the ExoMars rover and a surface science platform to the martian surface has completed a full-scale high-altitude deployment sequence test, although unexpected damage to the main parachutes occurred. Meanwhile, the main elements … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Landing in Oxia Palus

Posted on June 13, 2019 by rburnham

This image shows a cratered area to the southeast of the ExoMars 2020 Rosalind Franklin rover landing site at Oxia Palus. Selecting and characterizing landing sites is a balance between having science targets and avoiding potential obstacles, and HiRISE is … Continue reading →

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ESA prepares for ExoMars rover operations

Posted on May 31, 2019 by rburnham

[From Emily Lakdawalla’s blog at the Planetary Society] Preparations for the ExoMars rover mission are in their final stages. ESA made two announcements today: ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is shifting orbit, and they officially opened a new Rover Operations Control … Continue reading →

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ExoMars orbiter preps orbit for ExoMars rover

Posted on May 30, 2019 by rburnham

On 15 June, the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will follow a different path. An ‘Inclination Change Manoeuvre’ will put the spacecraft in an altered orbit, enabling it to pick up crucial status signals from the ExoMars rover, Rosalind … Continue reading →

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10 things you didn’t know about Mars

Posted on May 28, 2019 by rburnham
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