The roboter MARS ROVERor also called Bridget should explore the
mars planet in 2011. It is 3m x 1,8m large. EADS Astrium is
developing the first European Mars rover and it will demonstrate
flight and in-situ qualification of key exploration enabling
technologies to support the European ambitions for future
robotic and human exploration missions. The main technology
demonstration objectives are: - Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL)
of a large payload on the surface of Mars, - surface mobility
using a rover with a mobility range of several kilometres, -
access to sub-surface using a drill to acquire samples at depths
of down to two metres, - autonomous navigation using stereo
cameras to map a 3D image of the surrounding terrain, -
automatic sample preparation and distribution for analyses of
scientific experiments. In parallel, important scientific
objectives will be accomplished through a state-of-the art
scientific payload. © EADS 2010