An ESA rover under testing is joined in the Agency’s rocky ‘Mars Yard’ by a plush toy version of Rosetta.
This comet-chasing spacecraft was never intended to be a lander, but Rosetta will be following its Philae lander (seen atop Rosetta here) down to the surface of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in a controlled descent on 30 September.
Then on Sunday 2 October, comes ESA’s annual Open Day in the Netherlands: your chance to see this 8 x 8 m Mars Yard – part of ESA’s Planetary Robotics Laboratory – and the rest of ESA’s technical heart in Noordwijk for yourself.
The Open Day will also give visitors a chance to learn first-hand about ESA’s next planetary landing: the touchdown of the Schiaparelli demonstrator of the ExoMars mission on 19 October.
The annual Open Day takes place as part of the Netherlands’ national Weekend of Science, as well as World Space Week.
All visitors must book to gain entry on the Open Day. To register, click here.