NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have established an agreement for the development of the first European rover “Rosalind Franklin”. This rover will be equipped with advanced technologies, with the goal of finding evidence of ancient life on Mars. It is scheduled to be launched in 2028.
The first European Rover “Rosalind Franklin”.
NASA will provide support to the ESA-led mission by supplying essential components such as a U.S. commercial launch vehicle, radioisotope heating units (RHU) and propulsion systems technology necessary for landing on Mars.
The associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, Nicola Fox, highlighted the exceptional scientific value of the rover’s drilling capabilities and its onboard sample laboratory, essential to the search for evidence of past life on Mars.
In addition, Fox mentioned that the mission of the European Rosalind Franklin rover will strengthen the alliance between the United States and Europe for the exploration of our solar system. In keeping with Mars’ challenging environment, where temperatures can drop to -100 degrees Fahrenheit, the ESA rover will use nuclear-powered heaters to keep it running.
How do nuclear propulsion heaters work?
These radioisotope heating units (RHUs), which use decaying isotopes such as americium-241, will generate heat and electricity for spacecraft, providing a more cost-effective and reliable heat source at the Red planet, especially during landing operations.
NASA’s Perseverance rover’s nuclear propulsion system, which converts heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238 into electricity, has proven efficient, powering computers, research instruments and other rover equipment.
In this way, the RHUs will act as a backup heat source, protecting the mission from possible complications during the initial deployment and activation procedure. All of this is supervised from mission control on Earth.
The ExoMars Rover and the concept of its reach in space missions. Source: ESA
NASA has collaborated with international agencies to develop essential components for the rover’s science instrument, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer, which will search for the building blocks of life in Martian soil.
In addition, Rosalind Franklin’s unique drill can reach depths of up to 6.5 feet, allowing ice cores to be collected that have been protected from constant radiation bombardment and extreme surface temperatures.
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Source: Nature
Photo: ESA/ATG
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