ExoMars - ESA Mars rover

SpaceNut · 2014-10-03 19:34:32

Europe shortlists four sites for 2019 Mars mission
Four candidate landing sites for ExoMars 2018

The four shortlisted sites for the 2019 landing are located in features named Mawrth Vallis, Oxia Planum, Hypanis Vallis and Aram Dorsum.

four-possible-landing-sites-exomars-2018-mission-lg.jpg

ExoMars is a joint two-mission endeavour between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency. The Trace Gas Orbiter and an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, Schiaparelli, will be launched in January 2016, arriving at Mars nine months later. The Rover and Surface Platform will depart in May 2018, with touchdown on Mars in January 2019.

Download the full report: Recommendation for the narrowing of ExoMars 2018 landing sites

SpaceNut · 2015-10-24 20:41:04

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Landin … 8_999.html

Oxia Planum has been recommended as the primary candidate for the landing site of the ExoMars 2018 mission. ExoMars 2018, comprising a rover and surface platform, is the second of two missions making up the ExoMars programme, a joint endeavour between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos. Launch is planned for May 2018, with touchdown on the Red Planet in January 2019.
Meanwhile, the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator module will be launched in March 2016, arriving at Mars around this time next year. Schiaparelli will land in Meridiani Planum. The orbiter will study the atmosphere and act as a relay for the second mission.
The main goal for the rover is to search for evidence of martian life, past or present, in an area with ancient rocks where liquid water was once abundant. A drill is capable of extracting samples from up to 2 m below the surface. This is crucial, because the present surface of Mars is a hostile place for living organisms owing to the harsh solar and cosmic radiation. By searching underground, the rover has more chance of finding preserved evidence.
Scientists believe that primitive life could have gained a foothold when the surface environment was wetter, more than 3.6 billion years ago. Buried or recently exhumed layered sedimentary deposits thus offer the best window into this important period of Mars history.

SpaceNut · 2016-03-27 20:28:52

I am a bit surprised that no one had posted about the launch of Europe's ExoMars Mission to Mars Launches

The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. This relates to its name, with the 'exo' referring to the study of exobiology - the possible existence of life beyond Earth (sometimes also referred to as astrobiology).
The programme comprises two missions. The first was launched today and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. The second is planned for launch in 2018 and is a rover and surface science platform. The 2018 rover that will carry a drill and a suite of instruments dedicated to exobiology and geochemistry research.

The time of multiple mission on Mars will be exciting....

SpaceNut · 2016-04-03 08:21:47

Shaun Barrett wrote:

An artist's illustration of the European Space Agency's ExoMars 2016 mission, showing the
Trace Gas Orbiter releasing the Schiaparelli lander as it arrives at the Red Planet. This latest
Mars mission launched on March 14, 2016 and will arrive on Oct. 19
About 6 months from now, the above image shows what should take place in Mars orbit, as ESA's ExoMars 2016 probe (just launched) arrives at the red planet. B)
Schiaparelli is really just a 'technology demonstrator', designed to show that Europe can put a craft down safely onto the Martian surface.
But the rest of ExoMars 2016, the Trace Gas Orbiter, will try to map the production and concentration of trace gases like methane in the Martian air.
As we've talked about, methane can arise from celestial events, surface geological events (volcanology, tectonics), or from past and/or present life.
90% of the methane in Earth's atmosphere comes from biology. :mellow:
In my paranoid mind, I've developed the notion that we hear no more about Mars from NASA than NASA wants us to hear. To me, it's the only way to explain little things like the "discovery of water" on Mars about 8 times in the past 10 years or so.
Whether or not ESA will treat us the same way remains to be seen.

The only thing nicer would be a sample return mission.....

SpaceNut · 2019-01-05 21:40:17

ExoMars mission has good odds of finding life on Mars if life exists.

art-exomars-rover-russia-stationary-surface-science-platform-hg.jpg

upon landing, the rover will drill two meters into the Martian surface in order to reach the depth which "has been protected from the harsh conditions on Mars" and extract soil samples that, hopefully, may contain "bacteria that can break down molecules."
"We are looking for the building blocks of life and to see if life on Mars has been there before. We want to look to see how warm and how wet it has been. It would be more great evidence that Mars was a warmer and wetter world and it was once like Earth
The sort of life we expect to find are single-cells or hardy bacteria. That first kind of life is a microbial kind of life. What would excite me is to find something that had survived on Mars and bring it back to Earth to study and see how it works

We will also have one less reason stopping man from making the journey as well once we have the information...

SpaceNut · 2019-02-09 16:39:29

ESA's Mars rover has a name - Rosalind Franklin from over 36 000 entries submitted by citizens from all ESA Member States, following a competition launched by the UK Space Agency in July last year.

On our way to Mars, and back
Looking beyond ExoMars, bringing samples back from Mars is the logical next step for robotic exploration. ESA is already defining a concept for a sample return mission working in cooperation with NASA.
"Returning martian samples is a huge challenge that will require multiple missions, each one successively more complex than the one before," says David Parker, ESA's Director of Human and Robotic Exploration.
"We want to bring the Red Planet closer to home. We want to delve into its mysteries and bring back knowledge and benefits to people on Earth. Returned planetary samples are truly the gift that keeps on giving - scientific treasure for generations to come," he adds.
Long-term planning is crucial to realise the missions that investigate fundamental science questions like could life ever have evolved beyond Earth?
ESA has been exploring Mars for more than 15 years, starting with Mars Express and continuing with the two ExoMars missions, keeping a European presence at the Red Planet into the next decade.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars

SpaceNut · 2019-10-06 14:53:35

UK eases sanctions on Moscow to allow activities related to joint space mission to Mars

Its that or going with a half empty project to mars....

SpaceNut · 2019-12-31 16:45:02

Testing, Testing what a drag it is... video Mars Parachute Deploys at Speeds Over 124 mph in 'Promising' NASA Test

NASA/JPL helped the European Space Agency test parachute extraction for their ExoMars 2020 mission, where it'll have just six minutes to slow down from supersonic speeds and safely land a rover on Mars.

Oldfart1939 · 2020-03-12 09:10:31

More news: Today, ESA announced a delay in the rover mission until late 2022.

:https://spacenews.com/exomars-rover-mission-delayed-to-late-2022/

The reason stated was need for additional parachute testing.

Last edited by Oldfart1939 (2020-03-12 09:11:33)

louis · 2020-03-12 09:36:16

Robot rover missions look increasingly irrelevant.

SpaceNut · 2020-03-12 19:02:53

How so Louis, when you can not say for certain that no life even bacterial exists on mars let alone underground.
I will agree that they are painfully slow.

Ya Oldfart1939, we do not need another splat on the surface..unless its a very big one to test out how to teraform the planet.

GW Johnson · 2020-03-13 15:28:47

Well, the unmanned and manned programs should complement each other better. There are questions about possible landing sites for men that can be answered only by an unmanned precursor. But, only if the right equipment is on that precursor. It has not been.

We have been launching probes to Mars since Mariner 4 in 1964, which flew by in 1965. There have been a great many since, with precursor landings since Viking 1 in 1976. Not one of those has ever had a soil bearing strength test, or a functional drilling rig, not in 56 years. The one "drill" sent in all those years was a dysfunctional toy still unable to do its job after over a year trying.

You need to know where the ice really is, how much is down there, and what quality it is. You need to know how strong the ground is, so your manned craft doesn't sink in or topple over (or both). It would really help to know just how chemically-reactive the surface soil really is. It would also help to know the shape and hardness of the dust particles.

As far as I can tell, not one of those critical questions has ever been the point of any instrument or piece of equipment on any of those probes, not in all those same 56 years.

It almost seems like no one ever really intended to send men there at all.

The ESA rover chutes have to be properly tested. This is not some round personnel chute opening at 100 mph or so, it is a ribbon or ringsail that has to open at Mach 2 plus. You try opening a supersonic chute sometime, and find out just how hard that really is. Plus ESA is using a larger chute for the load it carries than the US has used in the past. This makes deployment and opening even less probable of success.

What I saw in today's AIAA "Daily Launch" newsletter says ESA also found bugs in the computer controller that sequences all the landing events. That has to be fixed before the thing can fly. Period.

GW

quote from "Daily Launch" for 3-13-2020:

ESA, Roscosmos Delay Mars Rover Launch To 2022

SPACE (3/12) reports that the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos “have decided to postpone this year’s launch of the ExoMars rover until 2022 due to technical issues.” ESA Director General Jan Wörner said during a Thursday news conference with Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin, “This is a very tough decision, but it’s, I’m sure, the right one.” He added, “We agreed together it’s better to go for success than just to go for launch at this time. Although we are close to launch readiness we cannot cut corners. Launching this year would mean sacrificing essential remaining tests.” Rogozin said in a statement, “We have made a difficult but well-weighed decision to postpone the launch to 2022. It is driven primarily by the need to maximize the robustness of all ExoMars systems as well as force majeure circumstances related to exacerbation of the epidemiological situation in Europe.” The rover still needs to complete “high-altitude tests of the huge parachutes that are essential to ensure a safe landing for the rover.” Additionally, Wörner “said that there were bugs found in the descent module’s electronic equipment, which is needed to fulfill critical functions, such as depressurization at liftoff, power and thermal control, propulsion and parachute commanding.”

Space News (3/12, Subscription Publication) reports that Wörner “stated that the mission’s Proton launch vehicle, the landing platform and the rover itself were assessed to be ready for launch.” Additionally, Wörner indicated that the launch was pushed back to 2022 due to “celestial mechanics.” Optimal “windows for launching to Mars open for a few weeks every 26 months, due to the planets’ respective orbits.”

Spaceflight Now (3/12) reports that the mission “was supposed to blast off from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Proton rocket during a planetary launch window in July or August.” But with the delay, the “lander will target touchdown in a region named Oxia Planum in the northern hemisphere of Mars between April and July 2023.” The new delay follows the rover being delayed from 2018 to 2020 due to “development delays.”

The New York Times (3/12) reports that Wörner said, “We could launch, but that would mean we are not doing all the tests.”

Mars_B4_Moon · 2021-06-04 08:04:02

Ghost of Mars Curse?

The last two Landers Beagle & Schiaparelli became expensive multi million Dollar Craters
Europe risks being ‘left out’ of space race with US, China, says space boss
https://www.politico.eu/article/europe- … schbacher/

Mars_B4_Moon · 2021-06-05 14:05:17

Ten yeas ago they would imagine landing spacecraft, the ESA lander mission followed 2 yrs later for a 'pick-up-the-sample' mission however the fast two failed. I wonder if this has delayed ESA's Mars Sample Return plans?

ExoMars rover twin begins Earth-based mission in 'Mars Terrain Simulator'

'Ground Test Model'
https://www.marsdaily.com/reports/ExoMa … r_999.html

The replica ExoMars rover that will be used in the Rover Operations Control Centre to support mission training and operations is fully assembled and has completed its first drive around the Mars Terrain Simulator at ALTEC, in Turin, Italy.

The GTM will also be used in the coming weeks for drilling activities. The ExoMars rover is unique in Mars exploration in that it will be first to drill 2 m below the martian surface to retrieve samples for analysis in its sophisticated onboard laboratory.

Underground samples are more likely to include biomarkers, since the tenuous martian atmosphere offers little protection from radiation and photochemistry at the surface. Understanding if life once existed on Mars is a key question in planetary science, and at the heart of the ExoMars programme.

SpaceNut · 2021-06-05 16:39:15

The radiation answer from the lunar insolation which was returned was enough to know that if life was protected that mars could still have some...

Mars_B4_Moon · 2021-07-04 06:57:27

First high-altitude drop test success. More Exomars tests.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration … _parachute

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-02-28 12:41:56

Russia withdraws from European spaceport in response to sanctions
https://www.engadget.com/russia-withdra … 18336.html

2022 ExoMars launch ‘very unlikely’ following Russian sanctions
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovat … smos-soyuz

The spin? from some Baghdad Bob ministry of Mis-Information character??

Ukraine attack won't hinder Russia with European Space Agency
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ukraine- … 38398.html

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-06-17 12:10:02

'There are discussions but they are about how to secure and return each other’s equipment. The Kazachok lander is in Italy and has to be returned to Russia, but first its European GNC components have to be removed. The “how” is what they’re talking about.'

https://twitter.com/BBCAmos/status/1535993413094588417

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-06-24 12:59:22

Administrator Bill Nelson has given us a clear message: NASA wants to help Europe in this situation," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/scien … 022-06-22/

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-09-07 05:13:17

Ariane-V retires soon and no Soyuz

European space chief “cannot see” a return to cooperation with Russia
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09 … th-russia/

Russia 'burning off £8.4m of gas that was destined for Europe every day' in single Nord Stream 1 pipeline facility
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-o … y-24858084

SpaceNut · 2022-09-07 20:34:17

Yes, the ESA will need a new launcher to fill the roles of the Soyuz and progress that will not be available.

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-10-26 17:22:07

Europe's space sector hesitates between independence and cooperation

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/amp/ … ooperation

Following ban of Russian Soyuz rockets, Europe to use SpaceX

https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/272 … use-spacex

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2022-10-26 17:23:24)

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#26 2014-10-03 19:34:32

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#27 2015-10-24 20:41:04

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#29 2016-04-03 08:21:47

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#30 2019-01-05 21:40:17

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#32 2019-10-06 14:53:35

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#33 2019-12-31 16:45:02

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#34 2020-03-12 09:10:31

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#35 2020-03-12 09:36:16

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#36 2020-03-12 19:02:53

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#37 2020-03-13 15:28:47

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#38 2021-06-04 08:04:02

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#39 2021-06-05 14:05:17

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#40 2021-06-05 16:39:15

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#41 2021-07-04 06:57:27

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