Rover operator at DLR in Germany

A controller at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany operated ESA’s gripper-equipped Interact rover around a simulated moonscape at the Agency’s technical heart in the Netherlands, to practice retrieving geological samples. The rover is steered using a joystick, seen left, with a Sigma 7 force-feedback device with six degrees of freedom used to manipulate its gripper arm.