WISDOM prototype field tests (Italy)
Date: 01 September 2010
Depicts: The WISDOM prototype during field tests in October 2010
Location: Mount Etna, Italy
Copyright: LATMOS
WISDOM (Water Ice and Subsurface Deposit Observation on Mars) is a subsurface sounding radar, and forms part of the ExoMars rover instrument suite. WISDOM will provide a detailed view of the structure of the subsurface of the Red Planet by studying the upper layers of the Martian crust.
An instrument prototype, representative in terms of design, size, mass and power, has been developed.
A series of tests in a variety of complex environments and simulated Martian conditions began at the end of 2010, with a field test in Mount Etna, Italy. The prototype successfully mapped the layers of the shallow subsurface.
From left to right:
1. Benjamin Lustrement, AIT-AIV Manager (LATMOS, France)
2. André-Jean Vieau, Instrument Project Manager (LATMOS, France)
3. Rafik Hassen-Khodja, Electrical engineer (LATMOS, France)
4. Stephen Clifford, Deputy Science Team Leader (LPI, USA)
5. Valérie Ciarletti, Principal Investigator (LATMOS, France)
