Testing the ExoMars Drill in Mars-like conditions
Date: 09 July 2010
Copyright: SELEX Galileo
This photograph, which shows a prototype ExoMars Drill assembly - comprised of the drill unit and the soil sample container – being lowered into an environmental container, was taken during a series of drilling and sampling tests performed at the Centre of Space Studies and Activities (CISAS) of the University of Padova, Italy, in April 2008. The objective of this test campaign, which was carried out in Mars-like conditions, was to verify the drilling and sampling performance of the ExoMars Drill prototype.
The environmental chamber simulated the environmental conditions of Mars, that is, a temperature range of -130°C to + 40 °C and a pressure range of 5 to 10 mbar.
Note: The same environmental chamber in CISAS was used by SELEX Galileo for the development, qualification and acceptance testing of the SD2 Drill, on Rosetta's Philae Lander.
