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Mars robot tested on Welsh beach
Clarach Bay in west Wales doubled for the surface of Mars this week when testing was carried out on a state-of-the-art robot.
The Panoramic Camera (PanCam) for the new Mars rover ‘Bridget’ is being developed by academics at nearby Aberystwyth University. The robot is due to be sent to Mars in a joint ESA/NASA ExoMars mission scheduled for 2018.
The robot, which weighs a quarter of a tonne, was able to move around rock pools and cliff faces taking pictures without any problems.
Professor David Barnes, who is co-ordinating the Aberystwyth work, said the field trials went according to plan. He said the beach was ideal for the test because the terrain is very similar to what can be expected on Mars.
He said "There were rocky outcrops, stones and a cliff face, just like there will be craters and rock outcrops on Mars when we are doing this for real".
The PanCam technology aims to provide images of the rover and its surroundings and support the movement of the rover over Martian terrain as it searches for evidence of life.