Mars rover meets desert

For eight days, a Mars rover prototype travelled 220 metres across a barren landscape, following commands from a science team some 1200 kilometres away.   The exercise was an important rehearsal for what the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover might encounter when it lands on the Red Planet in 2030. It brought together a rover prototype called Charlie and around 100 scientists and engineers from across Europe in September. Together, they choreographed how the robotic explorer could move safely, exercise exploration strategies and maximise the scientific results.   Their playground was the rugged Tabernas desert in south-eastern Spain, a location chosen partly for its resemblance to a Mars landscape. Charlie, built by Airbus, ran the same navigation software that will allow the Rosalind Franklin rover to reach a target while avoiding hazards.    Science teams at the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC) in Turin, Italy, relied on images, subsurface radar and spectral analysis from the rover to identify the most promising locations to search for evidence of life – Rosalind Franklin’s main mission objective.   Exercises like this field trial are a crucial step in preparing for planetary exploration and building up the teamwork needed to make the Rosalind Franklin mission a success.  For teams on Earth, it was a unique first-hand opportunity to process daily data downlinks and evaluate technologies and procedures in a realistic, demanding environment.  More on ExoMars: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars Credits: ESA/Airbus