ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - Europe's Airbus A300 Zero-G

The ExoMars dosing station, a part of the Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) which is designed to transport Martian soil samples collected by the drill to the instruments inside the ExoMars rover, was tested in conditions simulating Martian gravity during a parabolic flight campaign that ran from 7 to 9 June 2011.

During this campaign, Europe’s Airbus A300 Zero-G, operated by Novespace, performed a series of flights simulating for the first time lunar (0.16 g) and Martian (0.4 g) gravity conditions. Engineers from ESA's ExoMars programme carried out experiments to characterise the dosing system’s behaviour under these special conditions.