This ‘Bridget’ prototype Mars rover supplied by Astrium Stevenage in the UK was used for last week’s five-day Sample Acquisition Field Experiment with a Rover, or SAFER, field trial in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The arid, rock-strewn Atacama visually resembles Mars, but here the similarity has been made much clearer by subtracting all the blue colour from the sky.
The arid, rock-strewn Atacama visually resembles Mars, but here the similarity has been made much clearer by subtracting all the blue colour from the sky.
The SAFER field trial was overseen by ESA’s Directorate of Technical and Quality Management, with its international industrial team led by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space. The activity is funded by ESA’s Basic Technology Research Programme, with additional co-funding from the UK Space Agency. To get more details of SAFER, visit the team at http://safertrial.wordpress.com .