The European Space Agency ( ESA ) has picked a second potential landing place site for its ExoMars rover , which will set up in July 2020 and arrive at Mars in other 2021 .
The newly picked land site is calledMawrth Vallis , a fascinating area that may reveal the early evolution of the satellite . It appears to have river channels carve by water , and clay deposits there may have save evidence of past microbial spirit .
Mawrth Vallis joinsOxia Planum , choose in 2015 , as one of the two potential landing site for the bird of passage . It beat off competition from Aram Dorsum , establish closely to the Martian equator , and also thought to have been the site of piddle activeness early in the history of Mars . It drop off out after a two - solar day meeting of expert earlier this week as part of the Landing Site Selection Working Group .
“ While all three web site under give-and-take would give us splendid chance to wait for signature of ancient biomarkers and gain fresh insights into the planet ’s bed wetter past , we can only bear two sites forrader for further detailed analysis , ” said Jorge Vago , ESA ’s ExoMars rover project scientist , in astatement .
The two web site are separated by a few hundred kilometers just northwards of the equator . Mawrth Vallis not only shows sign of river channels , but even “ localised pool ” according to ESA . Oxia Planum , meanwhile , appears to have clay - fat minerals that formed in blotto condition about 3.9 billion years ago .
Four possible sites were considered , but just two now remain . ESA / Roscosmos / LSSWG
The final decision on which site to see will be made one year before ExoMars launches , so some sentence in mid-2019 . Both are feel in relatively low - lie commonwealth near the equator , a necessary feature article that will assure there is enough atmospheric state to slow up the wanderer as it parachutes to the Earth’s surface .
The rover is the second part of the overall ExoMars delegation , alongside a stationary surface skill chopine that will remain at the landing site . The first part saw the Trace Gas Orbiter enter arena around Mars in 2016 , which will begin studying gases in the Martian atm later on this twelvemonth . It carry with it the Schiaparelli lander , whichcrashed into the surfacein October .
Once on the surface , the rover will perform one of the most all-embracing searches for past and present living on Mars to date . It will apply a suite of instruments to study the aerofoil , including a recitation that will go up to 2 meters ( 6.5 ft ) into the surface to come up hint of secret water , and maybe sign of aliveness .
If all go to plan , the bird of passage will be join by NASA ’s 2020 Mars rover on the aerofoil . Opportunity and Curiosity may also still be running then , render us four operational robot on the surface of Mars .
