Mars Rover Bridget explores Clarach Bay as IMAPS develops hardware for Mars
13 September 2010
The Bridget rover from EADS Astrium was taken to the beach as a mobile platform for the test model camera systems designed and built in IMAPS. Aberystwyth University is a collaborator on the PanCam team developing the Panoramic camera system mounted on the mast of the rover. The beach was chosen for field testing equipment and software being developed for the ESA ExoMars mission due for launch in 2018. Over 3 days many tests and simulations were carried out, allowing potential problems to be identified and corrected before the specifications and designs are finalised. Further testing of the cameras and software is currently being carried out in Svalbard as part of the annual AMASE (Arctic Mars Analogue Svalbard Expedition) campaign.
The red dust in the Martian atmosphere affects the light reaching the ground and gives everything a colour cast which changes with dust storms and the position of the sun in the sky and so regular recalibrations must be carried out. The rover will carry a colour calibration target which will be photographed prior to each photo session on Mars so that image post processing can be carried out on Earth and allow accurate colours to be recovered. The radiometric calibration target and image processing software are being developed and manufactured in Aberystwyth under a joint project between the materials physics group in IMAPS and Dave Barnes Space Robotics research group in computer science. In order to ensure that the colours on the calibration target are stable in the harsh environment on Mars the calibration target will be made using well established stained glass technology. Martin Wilding is developing and manufacturing the coloured glass segments and the mounting and support structure will be manufactured by the IMAPS mechanical workshop.
Made in Wales on Mars!
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