Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

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...

Cutting-edge space technology is being used to bring maps of all Wales’s wildlife habitats right up to date. Once completed, by the end of March 2012, Wales will be the first country in Europe to have produced a national map of habitats using satellite technology. Led by the Countryside Council for Wales, in partnership with Aberystwyth University and Environment Systems, the project will be unveiled to future users at a special event in the National Museum, Cardiff, on Tuesday 2 November 2010. The original survey of all Wales’ wildlife habitats – from grassland and woodland to coastal heath, upland bogs and moors - was conducted over many decades and completed in 1997 by a team of CCW biologists roaming the length and breadth of Wales. Now, by using images from satellites that have passed over Wales, the maps are being updated at a fraction of the cost and time, reflecting the advancement in technology over the last decade. Remarkably, the satellite images provide even more detail th...