The experimental rack containing the ExoMars dosing station prototype
Date: 06 June 2011
Depicts: The experimental rack containing the ExoMars dosing station prototype on board Europe's Airbus A300
Copyright: ESA - A. Pacros
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 experimental rack ready for testing.
The experiment consists of a vacuum chamber (0.6 m in diameter and 0.55 m in height) housing the ExoMars dosing station prototype, a vacuum pump and the related electronics system mounted on a rack (1.5 m in length, 0.63 m in height and 0.66 m in width). The set-up also provides a dust-free environment with a dust filter and a cooling system, attached to the side of the rack.
