quarry in the south of England has been the site of an “eye test” for Europe’s planned rover mission ExoMars.
The quarry – chosen for its similarity to Martian terrain – saw cameras and image processing software tested on the ExoMars prototype rover Bridget.
The rover will be equipped with a raft of cameras and the aim is to integrate them and the data they will send back.
The technology developed for the mission has applications not only in space science but also here on Earth.
September 26th, 2009
European Mars rover’s ‘eye test’
March 30th, 2009
Volunteers flock to space experiment
What would you be prepared to do for money? For $6,500 (£4,500) a month, to be precise?
How about the following: locking yourself inside a small metal container for three months without any communication with the outside world, with electronic monitors attached to various parts of your body and with frozen baby food and cereal bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
To add to the fun you’ll have five companions who will do everything possible to stop you trying to escape before the three months are up.
Meanwhile, from a control room outside, a team of scientists will monitor your every move checking for any signs that you are starting to crack up.
And banish all hope of finding solace through alcohol or tobacco. Both are strictly forbidden.
March 4th, 2009
Mars had ‘recent’ running water
Mars appears to have had running water on its surface about one million years ago, according to new evidence.
Images from a NASA spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet show fan-shaped gullies on the surface which seem to be about 1.25 million years old, the study says.
They believe the channels were sculpted by surface water from melting ice.
It may represent the most recent period when water flowed on the planet, a team from Brown University in Rhode Island, US, report in the journal Geology.
November 7th, 2008
Magnetic shield for spacefarers
Future astronauts could benefit from a magnetic “umbrella” that deflects harmful space radiation around their crew capsule, scientists say.
The super-fast charged particles that stream away from the Sun pose a significant threat to any long-duration mission, such as to the Moon or Mars.
But the research team says a spaceship equipped with a magnetic field generator could protect its occupants.
Lab tests are reported in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion.
The approach mimics the protective field that envelops the Earth, known as the magnetosphere.
August 15th, 2008
Mars robots begin test campaign
Engineers have unveiled the latest prototypes for a European rover that is due to land on Mars in 2015.
BBC News has had exclusive access to the test vehicles which are being put through their paces by space company UK Astrium at its HQ in Stevenage.
The British team on this European Space Agency (Esa) project has nicknamed the prototypes Bruno and Bradley.
The six-wheeled robots are claimed to be the most robust and manoeuvrable planetary rovers to be built.
According to Chris Draper, Astrium’s ExoMars rover vehicle industrial manager, they can go literally where no rover has gone before.
June 11th, 2007
Success for Mars rover bag test
The project to design and build a European rover to send to Mars has passed an important milestone.
Engineers have demonstrated a vented, or dead-beat, airbag technology that could be used to cushion the vehicle’s landing on the Red Planet.
An effective entry, descent and landing system will be critical to the success of the ExoMars mission, as it is known.
The test’s success will be welcome news to European space delegations as they meet on Monday to review the project.
March 15th, 2007
Life on Mars car auctioned online
The 1974 Ford Cortina used in hit BBC police drama Life on Mars has been auctioned on eBay, raising almost £13,000 for Comic Relief. The car, seen in two hit series of the show about a modern-day police officer who finds himself transported to the 1970s, sold for £12,800.
Its description on eBay admitted “one or two battle scars” from chases.
The current series of Life on Mars, starring John Simm, is the last. The Comic Relief telethon is on Friday.
January 19th, 2006
Making space vision a reality
When Dr Michael Griffin took charge of the US space agency (Nasa) last year, it seemed as if he was being handed a poison chalice.
Whereas some of his predecessors had been in charge of heroic expeditions to the Moon – he had inherited a grounded shuttle fleet that was soon to be scrapped and a partially built International Space Station that critics were labelling expensive and pointless.
December 19th, 2005
Beagle 2 probe ‘spotted’ on Mars
The scientist behind the British Beagle 2 mission to the Red Planet says the craft may have been found in pictures of the Martian surface. Colin Pillinger says the images suggest the mission very nearly worked, but Beagle somehow failed to contact Earth. He thinks the craft may have hit the ground too hard – as the atmosphere was thinner than usual because of dust storms in that region of Mars. This may have damaged onboard instruments, preventing the call home.
December 6th, 2005
UK signs up to Euro Mars mission
The UK is to play a key role in Europe’s next mission to Mars. The government is to invest 108m euros (