Landing Site Science and Characterisation

ExoMars 2022

The exploration and search for life on Mars is a cornerstone of International Solar System Exploration. The UK has committed to this activity through significant contributions to the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter and the 2022 Rosalind Franklin Rover. The key science objectives of the rover are to: 1) search for signs of past and present life on Mars; 2) investigate the water/geochemical environment as a function of depth in the shallow subsurface. The choice of landing site is therefore vital to meet ExoMars' scientific objectives.

After several years of landing site selection workshops and ESA Landing Site Selection Working Group (LSSWG) meetings, four possible sites for the ExoMars Rover were selected: Aram Dorsum and Hypanis Vallus (both UK-led), Oxia Planum, and Mawrth Vallis. Down-selection to two sites took place in March 2017, and final selection will occur in 2019.

The goals of our work are to conduct geological analysis of these sites to develop testable scientific hypotheses, identify key scientific targets of interest in the landing ellipses, and to characterise major hazards to Rover mobility. It will broaden the UK interest by covering all of the final sites in more depth, and strengthen collaboration within Europe. These goals support the LSSWG and support ExoMars Rover instrument teams. Our work has helped the UK’s key involvement in the ExoMars 2022 landing site selection process thus producing a return on UK investment in ExoMars, and positioning UK scientists for key roles in the mission as operation begin in 2023.

Mars2020

We were involved in the process of selecting the landing site for the NASA Mars 2020 Perservearance rover mission. We helped lead the science case for a unique landing site in Melas Chasma, a canyon in Valles Marineris. This site, although an engineering challenge, made it through to the final eight candidate sites, from an original list of almost thirty. The final landing site, Jezero Crater, was selected in November 2018, at the end of a 4 year process.

Moon

We have been involved in studies of possible future landing sites on the Moon. Our involvement has been through two separate ESA studies, looking at (1) characterizing potential landing sites for a proposed European Lunar Lander, and (2) the use of the Planet and Asteroid Natural Scene Generation Utility (PANGU) Tool.