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The device "PanCam" is the scientific eye of the rover, which will give scientists a glimpse of the Martian terrain and geological features so that they can drive the named rover according to the British scientist Rosalind Franklin who co-discovered the structure of DNA. .
The rover will be able to observe the Martian atmospheric phenomena, such as its violent dust storms that cover the entire planet for many months and the water in the atmosphere.
The UK plays a leading role in the rover Rosalind Franklin Mars, a member of the ExoMars mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), which aims to examine the geological environment on Mars, located at an average distance of 140 million miles from Earth, and search for evidence of environments. this may have once, and perhaps still support life.
Jo Johnson, Minister of Science, said:
The United Kingdom is determined to play a leading role in the new space age, its innovative societies and internationally renowned universities exploring the solar system and bringing the benefits of scientific discovery to Earth.
The extremely complex rover Rosalind Franklin Mars demonstrates the strength of the British space industry, its scientific experts, its commitment to the European Space Agency and its support for international research collaborations. .
With funding and support from the British Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA), PanCam was developed in Britain by scientists from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) of the United States. UCL, in partnership with the University of Aberystwyth and many other UK experts. with colleagues in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and scientists from 9 countries.
Professor Andrew Coates, Principal Investigator of UCL's Mullard Space Science Lab at PanCam, said:
PanCam is the most sophisticated scientific camera system ever sent to the surface of Mars and is part of a mission offering the best chance of discovering life beyond the Earth.
Our wide-angle cameras will do more than is possible with human eyes by identifying water-rich minerals and studying water and dust in the atmosphere. They will also map the rover environment in 3D, the high-resolution camera will add texture and detail to the rock and monitor hazards under the rover.
Our engineering team has dedicated more than fifteen years to the realization of PanCam, and we are delighted to see all their work, now added to this incredible rover. We proposed the instrument in 2003, grouped competing teams, designed, built, tested and calibrated the instrument with a fantastic British and international team. Now we are ready to leave. Next stop Mars.
The camera system was installed on the Airbus Defense and Space rover in Stevenage (Hertfordshire), which builds Rosalind Franklin.
British scientists from the University of Leicester and Teledyne e2v are also working on the Raman spectrometer, a powerful tool for identifying and characterizing Martian minerals. The UK Council of Scientific and Technological Facilities provides some of the electronics, including the data processing panel.
ExoMars – Moving on Mars
Colin Paynter, Managing Director of Airbus Defense and Space UK, said:
ExoMars is Europe's last flagship space mission and Airbus is at the heart of it.
Stevenage's installation today of the powerful PanCam, which will provide not only 3D images of the Martian landscape, but also atmospheric data, is a major milestone, as we expect the rover to be ready to fly in July 2020.
The British Space Agency is the second largest European contributor to the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission, after investing 287 million euros in mission and 14 million pounds in instruments. This, in addition to the success of negotiations with ESA, ensured key mission contracts for the British space sector.
Rosalind Franklin will begin her long journey to Mars at the end of the month. He will then leave the UK for testing in Toulouse before heading to the red planet next summer (2020).
The United Kingdom is a leading member of ESA. In June, the UK-led Comet Interceptor mission, proposed and led by UCL researchers, was selected by ESA. This mission will send a spacecraft to hunt, observe and study a comet that has never encountered the inner solar system, providing us with vital information about the conditions of the ancient solar system and including its formation.
The government's modern industrial strategy helps businesses succeed by increasing their investment in science, as countries investing in ideas create more business opportunities. The ambition is for the UK to be the most innovative economy in the world – and the development of the ExoMars rover for the UK is part of that ambition.
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