NASA Mars 2020 Explorer shows advances
Almost one year will have to pass before the Mars 2020 Mission officially begins but wheels and legs of the NASA explorer for landing on Mars can already be seen
The helicopter is beginning to take shape and the most recent achievement of the engineers behind the project was the installation of six wheels to the explorer and a suspension system that will allow it to move in a practical way on the Martian surface.
Once the explorer reaches the Martian crater, the helicopter will move over the surface in search of signs that the place was previously inhabited, evidence of microbial life or samples of rocks from the red planet.
The purpose of the mission is to carry out an exhaustive and complete exploration to settle the way for possible human exploration on Mars; including an oxygen generation test.
David Gruel, director of assembly operations for the project, explained: “It is now a vehicle of Mars. With the suspension on, it not only looks like a rover but we have almost all of our important items for integration into our rearview mirror, if our explorer had one”.
The plans for the official deployment of Mars 2020 advance very quickly. NASA researchers hope to incorporate a robotic arm system into the explorer, add a camera to the mast as well as a caching system for samples.
L.Sáenz
Source: Tekcrispy
