2023-12-14 14:12:28
Rover Resaolind Franklin – ESA
MADRID, 14 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The ESA has published a video that recreates the mission of its Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of Mars -whose launch is now announced for 2028- which will be able to drill two meters into the ground.
The mission has been delayed twice due to problems with the deployment of its parachutes and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the ESA formally ended the mission’s cooperation with Roscosmos in July 2022, Europe found a new partner in NASA.
The images show the structural engineering of the spacecraft with a faithful robotic appearance. The Martian landscape has been simulated with meticulous realism, reports the ESA.
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover has unique scientific potential to search for evidence of past life on Mars thanks to its drill and scientific instruments. It will be the first rover to reach a depth of up to two meters below the surface, acquiring samples that have been protected from surface radiation and extreme temperatures. The drill will recover soils from ancient areas of Mars and analyze them in situ with its onboard laboratory.
The mission will also serve to demonstrate key technologies that Europe needs to master for future planetary exploration missions. This includes the ability to land safely on a planet, move autonomously on the surface, and perform drilling and sample processing and analysis automatically. The rover will use novel driving techniques, including walking on wheels to overcome difficult terrain, as well as autonomous navigation software, explains the agency.
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