Science & Exploration
ExoMars rover drill sample closeup
Closeup of the Rosalind Franklin rover’s drill delivering a ‘dummy’ sample to the sample tray. The image is of the rover ‘ground test model’ – a replica rover situated at the Rover Operations Control Centre, in Turin, Italy, and used for rehearsing commands.
The rover will be the first in Mars exploration that will be able to retrieve soil samples down to 2 m underground, where ancient biomarkers may still be preserved from the harsh radiation on the surface. Upon retrieval of the samples, they will be analysed in a sophisticated laboratory inside the rover.
