ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - ExoMars experiment in parabolic flight

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.

This photograph shows the ExoMars rover dosing station prototype being monitored by a video camera during tests in a parabolic flight. This camera provides a facility to monitor the dosing, the cleanliness, and the cross-contamination of the different samples.