Biosampling Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli, the ExoMars 2016 entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, pictured in a cleanroom at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan.
The module was cleaned and inspected before the exterior was biosampled. Since Schiaparelli will land on the surface of Mars it is subject to strict planetary protection standards which means that the module is regularly tested to be sure that the bioburden - the number of living bacteria - falls within the levels defined for a lander on the surface of Mars.
Last Update: 1 September 2019