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Science in motion for ExoMars twin rover

Written by  Monday, 02 August 2021 08:59
Rover eyes

The first science tests for the ExoMars rover replica kicked off after several weeks of driving tests around the Mars Terrain Simulator at the ALTEC premises in Turin, Italy.

A wheeled lab for Mars
A wheeled lab for Mars

The ground penetrating radar WISDOM ran its science analysis every 10 cm for 30 seconds. Once the wheeled lab covered five metres, it performed two turns of 90 degrees and started all over again on a new five-metre track. At the end of the test, WISDOM scanned a grid of 25 square metres.

A second test repeated this sequence, this time around with a much longer drive of eight metres for a more far-reaching science acquisition. And instead of stopping every half a metre, the GTM used WISDOM every metre.

In both cases, the sequence was completed by the neutron detector, Adron, which took measurements looking for traces of water. Next up was the execution of a complete WISDOM grid of 25 square metres.


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