Amalia the rover in Mars Terrain Simulator

Rosalind’s twin on Earth, known as Amalia, has successfully left the platform in a Mars terrain simulator at the ALTEC premises in Turin. The test model borrows its name from renowned astrophysicist Professor Amalia Ercoli Finzi. Amalia was  the first woman to graduate in aeronautical engineering in Italy, and she strongly pushed for the development of the ExoMars drill already 20 years ago.

While the driving during these exercises takes Amalia about 15 minutes, the whole egress is a long and crucial operation that will last a few martian days for Rosalind Franklin the rover. After landing, the real rover will be busy for over a week unfolding its wheels and deploying the mast, among other checkouts. 

Engineers are using the Amalia rover to recreate different scenarios and help them take decisions that will keep Rosalind safe in the challenging environment of Mars. The model is fully representative of what the rover will be able to do on the Red Planet.