The first European Mars exploration robot

The robot is named after the scientist plays a key role in detecting DNA structure, which is part of the Exomars mission, Guardian On March 29 reported. This task is conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) with the purpose of finding out whether life has existed on Mars.

Rosalind Franklin robot is equipped with a drill to take samples from a depth of 2 m under the red planet surface, dating to 4 billion years. This will be the first European expedition robot to be taken to another planet.

Initially a cooperation project with the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, the robot is scheduled to launch by 2022. However, this task was suspended after the Russian -Ukraine war exploded.

Instead of giving up the project, ESA has re -evaluated, ensured additional funding and signed new agreements to receive parts that Russia used to take on other supplies. For example, NASA will provide launch and many other components, including radioactive isotopes (RHU) for robots.

The landing station will be manufactured by Airbus at the facility in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, under a £ 150 million contract awarded by ESA, sponsored by the British government through the British space agency. Airbus is also the Rosalind Franklin robot. But Caroline Rodier, manager of the landing station project, note that bringing robots to Mars surface is a big challenge.

“Landing on Mars is not an easy task, and the schedule is also very ambitious,” Rodier said. The idea is that the robot and the amphibious station will be in a parachute ship compartment and a heat shield.

When entering the Mars atmosphere, the first even broke out to slow down the train cavity below the sound speed. After that, this umbrella and the ship compartment will separate before the second umbrella – attached to the landing station – deployed. “Finally, when the landing pedestal approaches the surface, it will begin to activate the engine strongly to land,” Rodier said.

The design of an amphibious station is not simple, not only because it has to slow down below 3 meters per second before landing. “When landing on Mars with this type of system, with a powerful amphibious station and engine to slow down to slow down and land safely, you need a push system with a large amount of flow (the amount of materials passing through a system),” Rodier explained.

“What we used to do elsewhere, typical spacecraft in other tasks, with much smaller flow. Therefore, there will be challenges. This is the first time we built this type of push system,” she added.

Rodier added that the project team is also studying the landing station and two symmetrical slope is implemented when the station lands, allowing Rosalind Franklin robot to go down in the least risk. Robots are undergoing adjustments and upgrades when the launch schedule changes, including improving navigation control systems and instructions.