All articles tagged with #exomars
Europe’s ESA plans to send the Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars, targeting Oxia Planum where orbiters have detected extensive clay deposits that could record a watery past; the rover will drill beneath the surface to search for signs of ancient life, with the clay-rich region possibly extending toward Mawrth Vallis as part of the ExoMars mission slated for a 2028 launch.
A study of the Murchison meteorite shows pristane and phytane—molecules long looked at as possible Mars biosignatures—occurred in equal, racemic amounts consistent with contamination from petroleum on Earth, not indigenous Martian life. By analyzing chiral forms and testing the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) on replica tubes, the research provides a realistic method to distinguish biological from non-biological organics and offers a procedural preview for Rosalind Franklin’s ExoMars mission, emphasizing that Earth-derived contamination can confound biosignature signals on Mars.
A new study shows that pristane and phytane in the Murchison meteorite exist in equal (racemic) amounts consistent with terrestrial petroleum contamination rather than fresh Martian biology, refining how scientists distinguish biological from non-biological organics and providing a practical test for the Rosalind Franklin rover’s MOMA instrument in the 2030 ExoMars mission. While Mars may have hosted life, the finding highlights the need for careful contamination-aware biosignature analysis when studying meteorites and Martian samples.
ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover will land at Oxia Planum to study vast clay-bearing sediments that extend toward Mawrth Vallis, hinting at extensive past water activity and possibly an ancient ocean. The mission will drill up to two metres and analyze samples to search for biosignatures while orbiters show similar mineral layers and a paused deposition history, informing Mars’ early climate and habitability and helping reconstruct its water history.
ESA used 20 three‑inch micro‑capsules fired from a bore gun at about 2,600 mph to simulate entering Mars’ atmosphere. Despite their toy-like size, the capsules withstood up to ~17,000 g’s and collected data on acceleration, trajectory and stability to validate the Entry, Descent and Landing Module (EDLM) that will carry the Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars in 2028.
SpaceX has secured its first Mars mission by launching Europe’s Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars in late 2028 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The rover is part of ESA’s ExoMars program, which faced delays after NASA’s initial involvement waned and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted partnerships; NASA later rejoined in 2024 to provide propulsion components and a mass spectrometer for life-detection, solidifying a path to the planned 2028 liftoff within Mars launch windows that occur roughly every 26 months.
NASA has awarded SpaceX's Falcon Heavy the launch contract for Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, finalizing a decades‑long ExoMars saga with a late‑2028 liftoff and 2030 Mars arrival, and a mission to drill up to two meters into the Martian crust to hunt for organic molecules.
ESA’s Mars Express captured a November 9, 2024 image showing a dark blanket of volcanic ash creeping over Mars near Utopia Planitia, contrasting with NASA’s 1976 Viking views. Scientists suggest the ash spread could be wind-driven or the dust covering it has been removed, indicating surface change over decades. The feature sits above ice beneath the surface and includes scalloped depressions that hint at periglacial processes, underscoring Mars’ volcanic history and ongoing landscape evolution mapped by Mars Express since 2003.
A May 2024 solar superstorm from sunspot AR3664 produced an X2.9 flare and a coronal mass ejection that not only triggered a major Earth geomagnetic storm but also dramatically swelled Mars’s lower ionosphere—nearly threefold—as solar plasma and X‑rays flooded the planet’s upper atmosphere. ESA’s Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter used radio occultation to measure the changes, showing how solar activity injects energy and particles into Mars’s atmosphere and highlighting its ongoing atmospheric loss. The orbiters briefly glitching during the storm but ultimately recovering demonstrates the value of radiation‑hard spacecraft for space weather studies.
A European Space Agency orbiter captured images of 'barcode'-like dust avalanches on Mars caused by meteoroid impacts, but a study shows most slope streaks are due to seasonal wind activity, contributing significantly to Martian dust circulation.
Europe successfully tested its largest-ever Mars parachute in the Arctic, a crucial step for the upcoming 2028 ExoMars mission to land the Rosalind Franklin rover on Mars, amid ongoing funding and collaboration challenges.
The most complex parachute system ever designed for Mars has successfully been tested in Earth's Arctic conditions using a high-altitude balloon, confirming its readiness for the upcoming ExoMars mission to ensure a safe landing for the Rosalind Franklin rover on Mars.
ESA's Mars Express offers a virtual flight over Ares Vallis on Mars, showcasing the planet's ancient water-carved landscapes, including channels, islands, and chaotic terrain. The tour highlights significant sites like NASA's Pathfinder landing area and the planned ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover site. The film, created using high-resolution data and digital terrain models, provides a detailed view of Mars's water-rich history and geological features.
The European Space Agency has awarded a 522 million euro contract to Thales Alenia Space to resume work on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission, which aims to search for evidence of past or present life on Mars. The new contract will replace Russian contributions and involve the development of a new landing platform, with NASA providing aerobraking engines and radioisotope heating units. The mission is now scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2028, marking a major stabilization of the program after being derailed by geopolitical issues.
The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover will use a newly detailed geological map of its landing zone on Mars to aid its search for ancient life. The rover's mission, delayed to October 2028 due to geopolitical events, will involve drilling into clay sediments to retrieve samples for analysis by on-board instruments. The map, created by 80 volunteers during COVID lockdown, identifies 15 specific types of geologic units in the Oxia Planum region, providing crucial guidance for the rover's journey and potential discovery of biosignatures.