Technologies on the road to Mars The hatch to the airlock opens,
revealing a human figure encased in a white pressure suit. After
a brief glance at the strange surroundings through his bowl-
shaped visor, the ambassador from Earth gingerly steps outside
and begins to descend the ladder. Within minutes, the visitor
from another world reaches the bottom rung and prepares for a
'giant leap' - humanity's first imprint in the pristine, orange
sands that stretch as far as the eye can see. The human
exploration of Mars has begun. Science fiction? At present, the
answer is yes, but this fictional scenario may become a reality
by the year 2030. In order to achieve such an ambitious target,
ESA has introduced its new Aurora programme. This will
eventually enable European astronauts to venture beyond Earth's
orbit to the Moon, Mars and beyond. One of the first
requirements of Aurora has been to identify the key technologies
that will be needed to send robots, and then people, to explore
the solar system. This important t