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Science & Technology
ExoMars RSP (Rover / Surface Platform) - PSA
ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform (RSP)
The RSP mission of the ExoMars programme, planned for launch in 2020, will deliver a European ExoMars Rover and a Russian Surface Platform to the surface of Mars. The primary objective is to land the rover at a site with high potential for finding well-preserved organic material, particularly from the very early history of the planet.
Landing Site Selection
Recommendation of a landing site for the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform is the responsibility of the Landing Site Selection Working Group, whose activities are based here.
Objectives
Once on ground, the ExoMars Rover will establish the physical and chemical properties of Martian samples, mainly from the subsurface where biomarkers are more likely to be present. The Rover carries a drill that is able to extract samples from various depths, down to a maximum of two metres. The Rover is expected to travel several kilometres during its mission. In addition to the detailed sampling, the Rover will carry a suite of instruments designed to establish the geological and depositional context of each site visited.
The Surface Platform will carry a suite of instruments to monitor and characterise the environment at the selected landing site, and will provide further context for the scientific investigations of the Rover. In combination, the Surface Platform and ExoMars Rover will provide a comprehensive environmental, geological and chemical investigation of the selected landing site from macro to molecular scale.
ExoMars Rover Instruments
AdronAdron
Adron will search for subsurface water and hydrated minerals. Adron will be used in combination with WISDOM to study the subsurface beneath the rover and to search for suitable areas for drilling and sample collection. No public data available yet |
CLUPICLose UP Imager
CLUPI is a camera system that will acquire high-resolution colour close-up images of rocks, outcrops, drill fines and drill core samples at the tens of micrometres to centimetre scale. These images will help determine the sample's depositional environment. CLUPI will also be searching for morphological biosignatures on outcrops visited by the Rover.
No public data available yet |
ISEMInfrared Spectrometer for ExoMars
ISEM is a mast-mounted infrared spectrometer, designed to determine the major mineral composition of distant rocks, outcrops, and soils. In combination with PanCam, ISEM will contribute to the selection of suitable samples for further analysis by the other instruments. No public data available yet |
Ma_MISSMars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies
Ma_MISS is located inside the drill, and will image the walls of the borehole to study Martian mineralogy and rock formation. This will provide valuable information on the site's stratigraphy, the distribution and state of water-related minerals, and will help to characterise the geophysical Martian environment. No public data available yet |
MicrOmegaMicrOmega
MicrOmega is a visible and infrared imaging spectrometer that will identify, at grain scale, the mineralogical and the molecular composition of the Martian samples collected by the ExoMars drill. MicrOmega can also be used to locate grains of particular interest (for example, grains that may have been processed by liquid water) in a totally non-destructive manner, so as to assign them as targets for Raman and MOMA observation. No public data available yet |
MOMAMars Organic Molecular Analyser
MOMA will use Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry and Laser Desorption-Mass Spectrometry to search for biomarkers and investigate the potential origin, evolution and distribution of life on Mars. No public data available yet |
PanCamPanoramic Camera
PanCam is a High resolution Camera (HRC) and Wide Angle Camera (WAC) system that will provide stereo and 3D imagery of the terrain around the Rover for establishing the geological context of each site. It will also provide textural information on rocks (for example, laminations or pitting) that can be related to the presence of organisms on Mars. In combination with ISEM, PanCam will help to select suitable samples for further analyses by other instruments. No public data available yet |
RLSRaman Spectrometer
RLS will provide definitive characterisation of minerals and biomarkers in samples, giving direct information of potential organic compounds, as well as general mineralogical information. RLS will support the scientific measurements of other instruments such as the MicrOmega, and is capable of measuring a sample at a fast-pace in order to release it for further analysis by other ExoMars instruments. No public data available yet |
WISDOMWater Ice and Subsurface Deposit Observation on Mars
WISDOM is a UHF ground penetrating radar, covering the frequency range from 500 MHz to 3 GHz, designed to map the subterranean layers of Mars. It will provide high-resolution measurements, with a vertical resolution of a few centimetres, down to a depth of 3 metres, complementing the 2-metre reach of the Rover's drill. WISDOM will be used in combination with Adron to provide information on subsurface water content and decide where to collect subsurface samples for analysis.
No public data available yet |
Surface Platform Instruments
ADRON-EMADRON-EM
Active neutron spectrometer and dosimeter (can work in tandem with the rover neutron detector). No public data available yet |
BIPBIP
Instrument interface and memory unit. No public data available yet |
Dust SuiteDust Suite
Dust particle size, impact, and atmospheric charging instrument suite. No public data available yet |
FASTFAST
IR Fourier spectrometer to study the martian atmosphere. No public data available yet |
HABITHABIT
Habitability, brine irradiation and temperature package.
No public data available yet |
LaRaLander Radio Science Experiment
Radio science investigation on the surface platform. No public data available yet |
M-DLSMulti-channel Diode-Laser Spectrometer for atmospheric investigations
Spectrometer for atmospheric investigations of the landing site. No public data available yet |
MAIGRETMagnetometer
Magnetometer for characterisation of the landing site. Also includes the WAM (wave analyser module). No public data available yet |
Meteo SuiteMeteorological instrument suite
A comprehensive suite of instruments for characterising the climate and meteorological environment at the landing site. The suite comprises the instruments AMR (magnetic fields), METEO-P (pressure), METEO-H (humidity), RDM (radiation and dust). No public data available yet |
MGAPMGAP |
RAT-MPAT-M
Radio thermometer for measurement of soil temperatures (down to 1-m depth). No public data available yet |
SEMSEM
Seismometer. No public data available yet |
TSPPTSPP
Set of cameras to characterise the landing site environment. No public data available yet |
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Data Access
Browse FTP
ExoMars Rover Data
- Adron
- CLUPI
- ISEM
- Ma_MISS
- MicrOmega
- MOMA
- PanCam
- RLS
- WISDOM
Surface Platform Data
- ADRON-EM
- BIP
- Dust Suite
- FAST
- HABIT
- LaRa
- M-DLS
- MAIGRET
- Meteo Suite
- MGAP
- RAT-M
- SEM
- TSPP