[X] My Assistant

[Guest_spaceffm_*]

Double Mission to Mars ( 2009 )

Rover Mass: 200kg ( 40 kg carry on load )
Orbiter: works like Mars Express and serves as a relaisstation for the Rover.

The name EXO-MARS comes from Exobiology, which will be one of the main Goals of the mission. To find extraterrestrial Life.
The Rover namend Pasteur equipped with a sophisticated suite of instruments to search systematically for the existence – past or present - of micro-biological processes will drive several km on the surface and drill up to 1,5m down the soil to analyze it.
This mobile laboratory is an essential precursor to a later Aurora Mars Sample Return Mission.

Mission Status: Study Phase nearing completion.

Picture of the Rover:





Picture of the Orbiter:



This mission will be the first mission in ESA's ambitious Aurora Program.


I was wondering why ther was no thread or section about this new mission of ESA...

[cIclops]

For all of you worried about the cost of ExoMars here is some reassuring news.

ExoMars will not have an orbiter and will use NASA telecom infrastructure at Mars. The cost is estimated at $600 million for the rover.

Note also the formation of a NASA-ESA joint working group on the sample return mission.

[gpurcell]

For all of you worried about the cost of ExoMars here is some reassuring news.

ExoMars will not have an orbiter and will use NASA telecom infrastructure at Mars. The cost is estimated at $600 million for the rover.

Note also the formation of a NASA-ESA joint working group on the sample return mission.

Yes, I thought this was a VERY encouraging report.