Test of self-propelled Mars

The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen the Atacama desert in Chile as a test site for a self-propelled robot car, which is expected to take place in Mars exploration.

The Atacama Desert is very dry, lifeless with sandy terrain, scattered with rocks very similar to the Martian environment. So ESA thinks this is an ideal place to test ExoMars self-propelled robot vehicles . Tests involve navigation, remote control and how ExoMars uses scientific devices. The goal is that through practical experience will develop better technology. ExoMars is expected to be put on Mars by ESA in 2018.

Photo: science.slashdot.org

ExoMars is a program with the participation of many spacecraft aiming to find life on Mars, which is a very important component of the ExoMars self-propelled robot . Previously, in 2003 ESA also brought a static scientific device package called Beagle 2 to Mars, but the result was not much compared to the self-propelled robot managed by NASA's US Agency.

In the five-day test mission, ESA will send an autonomous robot nicknamed 'Bridget' to the Atacama desert. It is a 6-wheel vehicle equipped with satellite transmission line connected to RCC remote control center in Harwell, Oxfordshire, England. In addition, a team of scientists will test their own tests to see if robots work as well as in Mars.

According to Gizmag magazine, Bridget is equipped with three most important scientific tools, the panoramic camera stereo, and then transforms it into a 3D image, a radar to look at the surface of the ground and a close-up screen with resolution 1 / 1000mm solution. In addition, self-propelled robots can also drill down to the ground to collect samples.