ExoMars Rover (Credit: ESA)
A team of scientists from UCL is designing the 'eyes' of a rover that will search for signs of life on Mars. Professor Andrew Coates from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) is leading the team designing the Panoramic Camera, or PanCam, aboard the ExoMars rover. Professor Coates's team includes colleagues Craig Leff and Dr Andrew Griffiths from MSSL, Dr Claire Cousins from the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, and a host of UCL experts and engineers. ExoMars, a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, is a flagship project in the UK Space Agency's science and exploration programme. The 'robotic scientist' will search for evidence of past and present life and study the local environment of the Red Planet to understand when and where conditions that could have supported the development of life may have prevailed. Unlike previous US-designed rovers, ExoMars will carry a radar able to search for scientifically promising locations under the surface of Mars and a drill to extract samples from the ground that will be fed to its on-board laboratory. The PanCam will help guide ExoMars across the rocky surface, be used by geologists to understand the history and structure of the planet, and help identify the best sites for drilling.
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