A brave Brit Mars robot gets up from the sun, sand and, uh, scientific simulations • The Register

A prototype robot rover, named Charlie, launched into the desert of Tabernas, Spain, this week, as scientists prepare for reality in 2021.

The UK-built trundlebot was controlled by the ExoFiT team of the UK's Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire, 1,000 miles from the sun and Spanish sangria where the remotely operated vehicle was doing its job.

The team trained to conduct the rover of their lander before heading for an object of geological interest in which they blocked an exercise.

The exercise tested the procedures, software and instruments for the European Space Agency (ESA) ExoMars rover to be launched in July 2020. These included the WISDOM ground penetration radar, from the CLUPI camera and the camera provide 3D maps of the area around the robot. The team then used the data to direct the core drill.

Although Charlie himself is not destined for Mars, the lessons learned by the team during remote operations will prove invaluable when the ESA ExoMars rover will arrive on the planet. red on March 19, 2021.

"One of ExoFiT's main goals is to set up effective remote science operations," said Ben Dobke, Airbus Project Manager for ExoFiT.

"This will allow the team of scientists and instrumentation engineers to practice remote operation and interpretation of instrument data mounted on the rover. a plan to develop the operational experience of ExoMars and future robotic Mars missions. "

One thing that Brexit will not hurt

The United Kingdom is a big fan of the ExoMars mission and is the second largest contributor in Europe, after collecting the largest share, 287 million euros, including 14 million pounds on the only instruments. The British are no strangers to the missions on Mars, having financed the mission Beagle 2, which was about to succeed, up to 25 million pounds sterling.

The team plans to continue training to maximize the chances of success of the mission, once the ExoMars trundle-bot has begun, uh, slip.

Next year, the robot will head to the Atacama Desert, which scientists believe to be as close as possible to the Martian environment on Earth. While the conditions on the red planet are even harsher (more radiation, less atmosphere and even less water), scientists hope that it will be possible to highlight underground microbes, protected from the above conditions.

The presence of liquid water on Mars and the potentially favorable conditions for underground life encourage optimism. Practice while ExoMars will be equipped with a drill capable of penetrating up to two meters below the surface.

British astronaut Tim Peake ran another rover, called Bridget, in 2016. The astronaut, aboard the International Space Station, spent two hours sending the robot to a simulated Martian surface at Stevenage , in the UK, before returning control to the ESA control center. in Darmstadt, Germany.

Once on Mars, ExoMars will not have the chance to have an astronaut orbiting it to give instructions. The rover will only have one or two sessions of communication with the Earth a day. Scientists and engineers therefore need a lot of simulation time to make the most of the "many kilometers" for which the robot should survive.

As ESA continues its preparations for ExoMars, NASA continues to listen to the response from its former vehicle, Opportunity, which was last heard on June 10 before hibernating under the umbrella of the company. effect of a dust storm. NASA has increased the frequency of communication attempts on September 11 and is expected to release a long-lived robot update in the coming days. ®