In the eye of the beholder

Astrobiologists are developing 'intelligent' instruments that could help future robotic explorers make their own decisions about where and how to collect data. Although focused on Mars exploration for the time being, the ...

New Mars rover digitally designed and tested

NASA scientists used software from Siemens to help create the new Mars rover Curiosity, which is currently on its way to Mars. The 900-kilogram rover is the largest Mars vehicle to date. It will reach the red planet on August ...

ExoMars orbiter prepares for Rosalind Franklin

On 15 June, the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will follow a different path. An "Inclination Change Maneuver' will put the spacecraft in an altered orbit, enabling it to pick up crucial status signals from ...

Fit for Mars

Rovers are versatile explorers on the surface of other planets, but they do need some training before setting off. A model of Rosalind Franklin rover that will be sent to Mars in 2021 is scouting the Atacama Desert, in Chile, ...

NASA-JPL director Charles Elachi talks about latest Mars mission

The car-sized Mars rover Curiosity, which landed on the Red Planet last month, is the biggest, most expensive and most ambitious planetary mission in many years. But it is just one of a sweeping portfolio of past and future ...

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