ESA ExoMars rover

Grey Havoc

Grey Havoc

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/engineering/11232982/How-Rosetta-comet-mission-is-putting-Space-City-Stevenage-on-the-map.html​

Tucked away in another part of the Stevenage site, ADS is working on another out-of-this-world mission: Exomars. The company has created the largest simulated Martian landscape outside the US and is using this 30 metre by 14 metre space-age sandpit to develop a rover vehicle that is scheduled to begin searching for life in 2018.

Paul Meacham, system engineer on Exomars, is working with prototypes Bruno, Bryan and Bridget to create a rover that’s smart enough to steer and drive itself, rather than wait the 20 minutes that radio commands take to arrive from earth – essential when the vehicle will only have a limited lifespan in the harsh Martian environment.

The six-wheeled vehicle will also be capable of overcoming rocks up to 25cm high and have the “brains” to avoid any bigger than that. This capability is something the American’s Mars rover didn’t have and developing the programming to do that is Meacham’s job, along with his colleagues, who will be building the rover itself.

“We know quite a bit about the Mars landscape,” says Meacham, standing by the simulated landscape.

“So the sand in here has been sieved so the grains are the same size as on Mars… the sand has been washed and dried so it has the same cohesion and doesn’t clump. It would be different to drive on if it did.”

A barrage of LED bulbs mean the light is in the same spectrum as the red planet so the cameras being used are performing under the same conditions as on Mars.

Although the ADS’s Mars environment is just for prototypes, the Bruno and Bryan models are close to how the final rover will look.

For example, the wheels are all metal, containing no rubber, for fear of contaminating Mars with organic materials.

“It’d be pretty pointless,” says Meacham. “Bringing an organic compound [like rubber] when you’re searching for signs of life… which would be indicated by finding organic compounds.”

In order to further the research, ADS has just begun construction of a new clean room where the final rover that will be launched into space will be built. The specifications require it to have no more than 1,000 organic spores per square metre – the same amount as you’d find on a pinhead in a normal office.
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Grey Havoc said:
The advance scout for the program, Schiaparelli, is scheduled to land on Mars this Sunday (October 16th), as part of the first phase of ExoMars.
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Further to that: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-space-mars-idUSKBN12F0U7


EDIT: http://www.space.com/34399-european-mars-lander-separates-exomars-mothership.html
 
Looking forward to it. Fingers and toes crossed that the landing goes to plan.
 
FighterJock said:
Just found this article about the forthcoming landing on Wednesday by the ExoMars lander on Wednesday on the BBC news website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37673617
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"Schiaparelli will hope to fare better, albeit with a planned surface operation of only a few days that will be sustained by batteries. "

As for the rover:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars_(rover)
 
Schiaparelli landing should occur around 10:48am EST (14:48 GMT).

http://livestream.com/esa/exomarssocialtv
 
Not looking good at the moment. May have a prolonged wait to find out if it made it down OK.
 
When I came back to SP from the ESA link the program had just ended with no word that Schiaparelli had landed. They might have temporally lost the signal from the lander.
 
Timing of the LoS is unfortunate -- right when the hydrazine retro-thrusters were supposed to fire. That doesn't bode well.
 
Schiaparelli is still not responding to ESA

for moment The Orbiters listening for signals from the probe

Update: Mars Express has recorded the Decent of Schiaparelli and for moment transmit the data back to Earth (expect at 18:20 Paris time)
 
According to the ESA live feed Schiaparelli should be down on the surface of Mars by now. ESA is waiting for the all important signal.
 
ESA Operations – Verified account ‏@esaoperations

.@ESA_TGO IS IN MARS ORBIT! #FlightDirector Michel Denis: "a good spacecraft in the right place - we have a mission around Mars" #ExoMars
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https://mobile.twitter.com/esaoperations/status/788809927502532613

Peter B. de Selding – ‏@pbdes

Paolo Ferri(3): Indian telescope & Mars Express orbiter descent data both stopped at same time. Suggests a descent/landing issue.
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https://mobile.twitter.com/pbdes/status/788818092197613568
 
The Good news:
Schiaparelli made down to mars
Heatshield worked
Parachute Worked
Landing radar worked
Seperation of Heatshield and Parashute worked.
Landing engines ignited

The Bad news:
Schiaparelli got in problems after Parachute phase and stop transmitting 50 second before landing

ESA and NASA try to communicate with lander by Mars orbiting satellite
MRO will take High Resolution picture of landing site in coming days.

In coming weeks ESA got analyst the 600 MB Data transmit by Schiaparelli to figure out what happen.

In Mean time NASA got question over social media and press, on Option to drive the Rover Opportunity to Schiaparelli site...
 
This was supposed to be a technology demonstrator to validate critical landing hardware prior to the launch of the Exomars rover. I wonder if there will be delay to conduct a second landing attempt before launching the rover mission?

https://youtu.be/2r4GxCPuzRM
 
There are first (unconfirmed by ESA) information about what happen

Parachute deployment to early and it's jettison much earlier as program
Landing engines ignited and work for 3 seconds not 30 seconds
that means Schiaparelli hit the Mars soil, 50 second earlier as planned and that at far higher speed

seems if this Info is right, MRO will find a new manned made crater on Mars...

For Moment NASA is ask over Social media to send the Rover Opportunity to Schiaparelli impact site.
 
MRO imaging of the crash site.

http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/10/Schiaparelli_landing_site
 
Flyaway said:
MRO imaging of the crash site.

http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/10/Schiaparelli_landing_site
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Hope ESA goes ahead with the Rover 2020 mission component of ExoMars after the failure of Schiaparelli.
 
Flyaway said:
MRO imaging of the crash site.

http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/10/Schiaparelli_landing_site
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For the people on Twitter asking NASA to just send Opportunity over to look at the landing site, this is easily 40km away from Opportunity's current location. That's basically the total distance that Opportunity has driven on Mars over the last12 years.
 
The MRO made picture of Landingsite
Acording NASA the Lander made a 40 by 30 Meter big Black Spot on Mars surface...


Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter_view_of_Schiaparelli_landing_site_node_full_image_2.gif
 
News from Schiaparelli EDM lander
after they look true data, reveal a very disturbing fact
the lander had jettison the heat shield and parachute to early and stop landing engine after 3 second
because the Computer come to conclusion it was landed !
it start the instrument up an transmit scientific data despite 50 second or 4 km over Mars surface

Schiaparelli EDM lander was build by French/Italian consortium Thales Alenia Space
It use same Computer build into Trace Gas Orbiter
what imply that same team made software for both
if that true wie have repeat of infamous first flight of Ariane 5 with software of Ariane 4...

Source:
http://www.nature.com/news/computing-glitch-may-have-doomed-mars-lander-1.20861
 
Mark Watney
a) is happy celebrating the Chicago Cubs victory http://m.mlb.com/news/article/207938228/chicago-cubs-win-2016-world-series/ and
b) he said he no longer wants to return Mars now that Trump is the President and
c) he agrees to have a look at Schiaparelli since "I' the leading expert when drilling holes through Schiaparelli (since the MAV landed in the eponymous crater)
 
Europe commits to the space station and ExoMars as part of $11 billion in commitments to ESA - See more at: http://spacenews.com/europe-commits-to-the-space-station-and-exomars-as-part-of-11-billion-in-commitments-to-esa/#sthash.6fKhc6xc.dpuf

UK government press release.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-commits-to-european-collaboration-on-science-and-exploration-satellite-technology-and-services
 

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