Aberystwyth scientist heads to Chile’s Atacama desert in preparation for Mars mission
A space scientist from Aberystwyth University has travelled to Chile’s Atacama desert as preparations for the 2018 ExoMars mission to Mars continue. Dr Stephen Pugh from the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science (IMPACS) is working on the ExoMars Panoramic Camera Instrument (PanCam) during a seven-day field trial. PanCam will be the science 'eyes' for the mission and will feature a novel colour correction system to ensure that images sent back to earth truly represent the colours on Mars. Featuring small stained-glass coloured chips manufactured using a process similar to that used in medieval times, the PanCam colour calibration target measures just 50 mm × 50 mm, 18 mm high and weighs no more than 25 grams. The Aberystwyth PanCam work is led by Professor Dave Barnes, who will be based at mission control at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories during the trial along with other PanCam team members. “Learning how to operate the PanCam instrument on Mars will b...