Andrew J. Ball

Introduction: The European Space Agency’s ExoMars was conceived to search for signs of life on Mars. The design of the mission puts the science team in the best possible condition to search for biosignatures, using:a 2-m depth drill;the suite of 8 scientific instruments in the Pasteur Payload;the selected landing site, Oxia Planum, and;the surface exploration strategy that guides how the Rover and instruments are used together to achieve the mission objectives.The Rosalind Franklin Mission (RFM) is a re-establishment of the ExoMars 2022 mission [1]. With European industrial prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, and important contributions from partner, NASA. RFM is on schedule for launch in the latter part of 2028 and to land at Oxia Planum in 2030.Figure 1: The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover. Credit ESA/MLabspacePasteur Payload: The heart of the characterisation and analysis capabilities of the Rosalind Franklin Rover lies in the suite of complementary scientific instruments that comprise the Pasteur Payload. At macroscopic scales, the PanCam investigation [2], with its wide-angle multispectral stereo camera (WAC), and narrow-angle, high-resolution camera (HRC), working together with NavCam and LocCam navigation cameras, constitutes the eyes of the rover. An infrared spectrometer, Enfys [3], will reveal mineralogical signatures at targeted locations. The CLUPI instrument [4] serves as a geologist’s hand-lens, allowing close-up characterization of surface lithologies. The WISDOM ground penetrating radar [5] will reveal subsurface structures and survey potential drilling sites. Ma_Miss comprises an IR spectrometer head near the drill tip and will allow reconstruction of mineralogical stratigraphy in drilled boreholes [6]. In the rover’s Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD), the MicrOmega imaging Visible/IR spectrometer [7], Raman Laser Spectrometer, RLS [8], and Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) [9] (which combines gas-chromatography and laser desorption with a linear ion trap mass spectrometer), work together to determine the mineralogy and organic composition of crushed samples.Science Team Activities: The ExoMars Science Working Team (ESWT), ExoMars project, and industrial partners are nearing completion of refurbishment of the rover and its instruments. The ExoMars Rover Science Operations Working Group (RSOWG), chartered in 2019 by the ESWT, continues working to advance science readiness. The ‘Micro’ sub-group addresses topics regarding the spatial scale of the samples that will be extracted from down to 2m depth by the rover’s drill, their terrestrial analogues, and plans for their analyses, including by the three ALD instruments. Ongoing work regards the ‘Mission Reference Samples’ – a suite of natural and synthetic analogue samples most relevant to the landing site and mission objectives, which are under characterization by ground models of all the Pasteur Payload instruments. A set of geotechnical analyses are led by an Interdisciplinary Scientist (IDS) team focussing on sub-surface investigations [10], to maximize retrieval of information from drill telemetry in concert with visible images from CLUPI [4] and PanCam [2], infrared spectra from Ma_Miss [6] and information from the WISDOM radar [5].Members of the ‘Macro’ sub-group continue geological interpretation of the landing site [e.g. [11], [12]] and continue to build interpretations from the published a high-fidelity geological map of Oxia Planum [13], the culmination of a 4-year team effort [14]. A dedicated co-author team is preparing the mission Strategic Science Plan (SSP), which traces mission science objectives to specific questions and hypotheses that are testable by Pasteur Payload instruments. Further, a Science Sampling Strategy (S3) is in development to provide tools for the science team to implement the priorities of the SSP into daily rover operations [15].The European Entry Descent and Landing Module (EDLM) is in advanced development and will deliver the Rosalind Franklin rover to Oxia Planum. The module contains sensor packages that will support EDL and environmental characterisation at the surface for the time that the platform is operational after landing. Amongst them are the COMARS+ suite (Combined Aerothermal and Radiometer Sensors Instrument Package), four visible wavelength cameras for imaging the descent; and the Platform Atmospheric Characterisation Instrument Suite (PACIS), installed on the lander, which contains atmospheric pressure and temperature sensors, and a microphone. Telemetry from various sensors used during EDL supports the ExoMars Atmospheric Mars Entry and Landing Investigations and Analysis (AMELIA) team [16].Continued Preparations for Operations: The Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC, Turin) is maintained and updated, while continuing to host a schedule of tests and simulations, providing regular opportunities to exercise Science and Control Team processes. A Science Knowledge Management Programme (SKP) continues to support key expertise within the science and instrument teams, to retain and develop valuable team knowledge and experience that was built in preparation for the 2022 mission opportunity [17]. Preparations are well underway for rover field trials, to be held in 2026 and 2027 at a Mars analogue site, using a testbed rover and emulators of survey instruments, and building on experience from prior field tests [18], [19].This presentation will explain how ESA, supported by industry and the payload teams and with our NASA partners, remains on track for a 2028 launch of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Mission. We will present the current level of advancement of the project and highlight the main science objectives and overall strategic plan for the mission.References:[1] J. L. Vago et al., Astrobiology, doi: 10.1089/ast.2016.1533.[2] A. J. Coates et al., Astrobiology, doi: 10.1089/ast.2016.1548.[3] A....

Introduction: Finding signs of life elsewhere is one of the most important scientific objectives of our time.ExoMars was conceived to answer one question: Was there ever life on Mars? All project design decisions have focused and continue to centre on the achievement of this single scientific goal. The Rosalind Franklin Mission (RFM) is a re-establishment of the ExoMars 2022 mission [1]. In a new partnership with NASA, RFM is on schedule for launch in the latter part of 2028 and landing at Oxia Planum in 2030.Figure 1: Artist’s view of the Rosalind Franklin Rover approaching hydrothermal mound remains (Credit: MLabSpace/ESA).Pasteur Payload: The heart of the unique characterisation and analysis capabilities of the Rosalind Franklin Rover lies in its suite of complementary scientific instruments that comprise the Pasteur Payload. At macroscopic scales, the PanCam instrument [2], with its wide-angle multispectral camera (WAC), and narrow angle high-resolution camera (HRC), working together with NavCam and LocCam navigation cameras, constitutes the eyes of the rover. A newly developed infrared spectrometer ‘Enfys’ [3], recovering the analytical capabilities of the disembarked ISEM instrument, will reveal mineralogical signatures at targeted locations. The CLUPI instrument [4] serves as an advanced robotic version of a geologist’s hand-lens, allowing close-up characterization of surface lithologies. The WISDOM ground penetrating radar [5] will reveal sub-surface structures and survey potential drilling sites. Ma_Miss comprises an IR spectrometer head near the drill tip and will allow reconstruction of mineralogical stratigraphy in drilled boreholes [6]. In the rover’s Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD), the MicrOmega imaging IR spectrometer [7], Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) [8], and Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) [9] (which combines gas-chromatography and laser desorption with a linear ion trap mass spectrometer), work together to analyse the mineralogy and organic chemistry of crushed samples.Science Team Activities: The ExoMars Science Working Team (ESWT), ExoMars project, and industrial partners continue to be engaged in a programme of refurbishment of the rover and its instruments, and preservation of science team expertise and knowledge. The revised mission timeline provides great opportunity for further preparatory science, including of the Oxia Planum landing site and its analogues, by interpretation of orbital data, lab- and field-work, and numerical simulations.The ExoMars Rover Science Operations Working Group (RSOWG), chartered in 2019 by the ESWT, is re-established for the 2028 mission and continues working at a sustainable pace to address specific needs serving to advance science readiness. The ‘Micro’ sub-group address topics regarding the spatial scale of the samples that will be extracted from down to 2 m by the rover’s drill, their terrestrial analogues, and plans for their analyses, including by the three ALD instruments MicrOmega [7], RLS [8] and MOMA [9]. Ongoing work regards a set of ‘Mission Reference Samples’ – a suite of analogue samples most relevant to the landing site and mission objectives, which are under characterization by ground models of rover instruments at PI and Science Team institutes.Members of the ‘Macro’ sub-group continue geological interpretation of the landing site and have published the highest resolution geologic map of Oxia Planum [10], the culmination of a 4-year team effort [11]. In addition, a dedicated set of co-authors are preparing the Strategic Science Plan (SSP) of the mission, which traces mission science objectives, through to specific questions linked to hypotheses that are testable by the scientific instruments in the Pasteur Payload.New Lander: A European Entry Descent and Landing Module (EDLM) that will deliver Rosalind Franklin to Oxia Planum is being developed. The module contains sensor packages that will support EDL and environmental characterisation at the surface for the time that the platform is operational after landing. Amongst them are the COMARS+ suite (installed on the heat shield), which contains sensors for pressure, thermal flux and radiometry; a set of 4 visible wavelength cameras for imaging the descent; and the Platform Atmospheric Characterisation Instrument Suite (PACIS), installed on the lander, which contains atmospheric pressure and temperature sensors, and a microphone. Telemetry from the Radar Doppler Altimeter (RDA) and Inertial Measurement Unit(s) (IMU), together with auxiliary information and data from the above packages, support the ExoMars Atmospheric Mars Entry and Landing Investigations and Analysis (AMELIA) team [12], which is renewed for the 2028 mission opportunity.Continued Preparations for Operations: Dedicated efforts are underway to maintain, and update as needed, systems at the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC - Turin, Italy), which includes a dedicated Mars Terrain Simulator. A continued schedule of testing and simulations is underway at ROCC, providing regular opportunities to exercise Science and Control Team processes.A special Science Knowledge Management Programme (SKP) dedicated to the Rosalind Franklin Mission continues to support key expertise within the science and instrument teams. SKP ensures that the valuable team knowledge and experience that was built in preparation for the 2022 mission opportunity [13] can be retained and developed.This presentation will explain how ESA, supported by industry, payload teams, participating national agencies in ESA states and together with our NASA partners, is preparing the Rosalind Franklin Mission for a launch in 2028. We will present the current the level of advancement of the project, and highlight the main science objectives and overall strategic plan for the mission.References: [1] Vago, J. L. et al. (2017) Astrobiology 17, 471–510. [2]...

Human missions to Mars will require detailed knowledge of local meteorological conditions. Continuous measurement of winds in the vicinity of a landing site is needed to provide accurate local weather monitoring and forecasting, thus preparing future expeditions to safeguard against the operational impact of hazardous dust events. These measurements are also required to ensure compliance with COSPAR planetary protection requirements regarding potential contamination of ‘special regions’ within the human exploration zone through the atmospheric transport of contaminants from human activities.Key to understanding this local-scale atmospheric transport will be obtaining accurate measurements of the 3-D wind vector, most likely through a network of landers equipped with meteorological instrumentation. Here we build on a prior ESA internal study on a Mars Weather Network Mission to present an analysis of wind variability and reconstruction across six test-case landing sites - Chryse Planitia, Gusev and Schiaparelli craters, Mesopotamia, Mawrth Vallis and Hypanis Vallis - which have been proposed as future human exploration zones.Local winds were simulated using the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique Mars Mesoscale Model (Figure 1). An Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis was then performed, which decomposed the near-surface wind into orthogonal spatial patterns (EOFs). We found that the first 4 EOFs captured between 70-90% of wind variability at most sites.By simulating continuous wind measurements from a network of four landers, we then calculated reconstructions of both the horizontal near-surface wind field as well as the full 3-D wind field for the first five kilometres above the surface. We found that Hypanis Vallis and Mesopotamia were the sites with the lowest reconstruction errors, and that reconstruction was poorer at sites with greater topographic variation such as the Gusev and Schiaparelli craters.Our results provide the first quantification of wind field reconstruction error for meteorological monitoring using a network of landers on the Martian surface and therefore constitute a useful benchmark for future work. Figure 1 - Sample simulation output of the 3-D wind field at Chryse Planitia. The wind field has been visualised by initialising 1,000 particles at random locations, then using a Lagrangian trajectory algorithm to calculate how the particles are advected by the wind field. Particles are coloured by wind speed.

Over the last decade, Raman spectroscopy has established itself as a fundamental technique for planetary exploration and the geological characterization of bodies in our Solar System. ESA has been evaluating combinations of analytical methods combined in a portable, handheld analytical tool for planetary surface exploration missions, with the potential use‐case being human missions to the surface of the Moon (e.g., in the frame of the NASA‐led Artemis program). Based on the Raman technique, we report on a development that seeks to complement Raman with other techniques for determining chemical composition, such as LIBS or XRF, and also provided with a close‐up imager integrated into the instruments to obtain context images of the analyzed samples, to determine their texture and help select the point of analysis. For this design, portability and ergonomic considerations are also being taken into account, since they must be operated by future astronauts quickly and efficiently. Breadboard instruments developed in the frame of an ESA contract are designed to interface wirelessly with an electronic field book and are usable not just in a laboratory environment but also as training equipment on Earth during the analogue field campaigns of its astronauts within the PANGAEA program. This work shows the performance obtained by one of the two Portable Handheld cOmbinEd RamaN‐LIBS‐XRF (PHOENIX) instruments developed within the framework of this ESA contract.

ESA’s current Mars exploration programme consists of the flying orbiters Mars Express and the ExoMars TGO, while the ExoMars rover is planned for launch in 2022. The Nov 2019 ESA Council of Ministers meeting, Space19+, has approved ESA contributions to a Mars Sample Return Campaign, led by NASA, with a launch of the sample retrieval missions planned to occur as early as 2026.The ExoMars and Mars Sample Return (MSR) missions will expand our understanding of Martian history, potential for life and environmental conditions. These missions will develop European technologies and capabilities to enable access to Mars orbit, Mars surface and shallow sub-surface as well as a round-trip journey. However, key strategic knowledge gaps will still remain for the human exploration of Mars following successful ExoMars and MSR missions. These include the understanding of the long-term behaviour of the atmosphere, wind profiles, dust properties and transport and origin of dust storms.A study was undertaken in the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) at ESA, ESTEC in order to address this important knowledge gap through a reference mission architecture that would be the first coordinated global, regional and local network of atmospheric science and weather stations at Mars. The reference launch date for the mission is in the early-mid 2030’s.The selected mission architecture comprises several elements, including:A Low Mars Orbiter (LMO), in a high-inclination orbit; An Areosynchronous Orbiter (ASO) situated at the same longitude as the landers Four identical Mars landers comprising: 3 “local” landers in a triangular configuration situated 20km-150km apart 1 “regional” lander situated ~800km West of the local lander network Two carrier spacecraft each carrying two Mars landers from Earth to Mars atmospheric entry. The primary science objectives focus on meteorology, wind and dust transport measurements from the orbital and landed assets. In addition, the landers also contain a radio science, seismology and heat flow payload suite to address secondary science objectives. Due to the scale of the mission and large number of sizeable mission elements, the architecture was spilt into a two-launch scenario where the first launch comprises the two orbiter spacecraft, and the second launch (in the next launch window opportunity) comprises the two carrier spacecraft each carrying two landers. Due to this large scope, the CDF study focussed on the design of the four Mars landers and the Areosynchronous orbiter, the definition of the science payloads, the overall concept of operations, cost and programmatics.The study results show the technical feasibility of such a mission to be undertaken in the 2030’s at landing sites between 0°N and 20°N latitude whilst utilising existing European heritage in chemical propulsion Orbiters and ballistic Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technology. Challenges for the lander elements include the need for radioisotope heater units (RHUs), large solar arrays and energy-efficient platform and payload operations, all driven by the need to survive for multiple Mars years on the surface including science operations through potential global dust storms. Further work to refine the mission concept is planned. Figure 1: Mars Long-Lived Weather Network Mission ArchitectureFigure 2: Conceptual design of one of the four Mars landers showing the location of the science instruments

Though the authors in this general issue of Screen Bodies engage with a wide array of media, they express a shared group of concerns. Namely, how recent technological advancements and the big data cultures of the Information Age are altering social norms concerning the body, the subject, and intimacy. The first two articles focus on increasingly data-oriented cultures that have given rise to aesthetics derived from quantification and mathematics. In “Qualities Over Quantities: Metric and Narrative Identities in Dataveillant Art Practice,” Amy Christmas examines the “surveillant aesthetic” present in three multimedia art projects—Hasan Elahi’s Tracking Transience (2002 to present), Jill Magid’s Composite (2005), and Heather Dewey-Hagborg’s Stranger Visions (2012–2013). Christmas argues that these artists explore new modes of subject constitution and constraint, and reveal the potential of “dataveillance” to bridge formerly disconnected processes of “quantitative (metric) and qualitative (narrative)” self-formation. Similarly taking up questions of aesthetics, the “quantified self,” and its relation to narrative, Kallie Strode examines the datafication of beauty in “Narrating (Sur)face: The Marquardt Mask and Interdisciplinary Beauty.” Strode reflects on the ethics of quantifying beauty and looks to the plastic surgery method patented by Stephen Marquardt, who has developed a model of facial beauty using the golden ratio. The Marquardt mask, she argues, exemplifies an algorithmic aesthetic that is being applied to the reformation of bodies. Along similar lines, in “Cyborgian Salariats” Stephanie Bender argues that the individual is subordinated and rationalized by modern technology. Bender examines how Sasha Stone’s photo essay “Hundred-Horsepower Office” presents an optimistic vision of a new kind of subject, the Weimar-era white-collar worker, a human-machine assemblage that combines the body and modern office technology.

Introduction Studies are underway to provide solutions to bring the Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars (Figure 1). Complementing the ExoMars 2016 mission involving the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli spacecraft [1, 2], the second ExoMars mission’s science objectives are to search for signs of past and present life, and to investigate the subsurface water/geochemical environment as a function of depth [3, 4]. We report on work by the Science Team to finalise preparations that would have been needed for a launch in 2022, and that remain essential for readiness at a future launch date. Figure 1. Rover Science Operations Working Group (RSOWG) The ExoMars RSOWG was chartered in 2019 to advance the state of preparation for Rover science operations within the science team. Sub-groups are tasked with addressing specific needs: RSOWG-Micro address topics regarding the spatial scale of the samples that will be extracted from down to 2m by the rover’s drill, their analogues, and plans for their analyses. Notable recent work by the Micro sub-group has included (i) Recommending a sequence of rover activities following commissioning, named ‘Science.0’. The goal of the Science.0 activities is to prime the rover’s analytical laboratory and characterise its initial state prior to commencing analysis to search for biosignatures on Mars samples. (ii) Running a process to propose, select and analyse a set of ‘Mission Reference Samples’ – a suite of analogue samples most relevant to the landing site and mission objectives to be characterized by ground models of the MicrOmega [5], RLS [6] and MOMA [7] instruments. RSOWG-Macro address topics using the wealth of remote sensing data amassed by orbiter missions, and at rover to regional spatial scales. In 2020-2021 the Macro group performed a group mapping exercise of the Oxia Planum landing site [8] to develop understanding of the site’s stratigraphy and geological history [9]. A related output has been the publication of a corresponding Geographic Framework [10], to be used during simulations and operations. Other RSOWG-Macro activities have included defining how to initialise the mission’s ‘Strategic Plan’ upon landing, building a version-controlled repository of orbital data products, and establishing conventions for naming features and places at the landing site. The RSOWG Simulations Planning Group comprises a team of ‘Simulation Officers’, nominated from Pasteur Payload Teams, ESA and industry. In 2021 they were tasked with designing and leading a series of ‘RSOWG Simulations’, an early series of team simulations that were intended to rehearse and refine strategic science processes. Scenarios, entitled ‘After Landing’, ‘Site Survey’, ‘Opportunistic science trade-off’ and ‘ALD Analyses’, required science data interpretation, rover activity planning, and decision making at strategic level, and used data from all 9 Pasteur Payload instruments. Lessons learned from early simulations, inform planning of future simulations and exercises, including those prepared by the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC – Turin, Italy) for training and certification of team members for operations. During 2022 and beyond, RSOWG are focussing on maturing the mission’s ‘Strategic Plan’, which provides traceability from the Rover mission science objectives to individual rover and instrument activities, taking into account the realities of the landing site. The RSOWG is tasked to form the Strategic Plan by 1) identifying questions that stem from the Rover mission science objectives and organizing them into scientific priorities, 2) defining hypotheses that should be tested using rover instruments, and 3) identifying targets and ‘skeleton’ plans of activities that could be performed by the rover and its instruments that would address specific groups of hypotheses. Plans, People, and Processes Some aspects of science operations preparations lie outside the responsibility of RSOWG, and are complementary to the industry-led development and testing of systems and rover operations at the ROCC. The ‘Science Operations Plan’ was developed to ensure that daily science operations processes in Tactical and Strategic planning cycles (Figure 2) are complete, robust, transparent, efficient, and collegiate. The plan complements ground and flight control procedures, and covers science team organization, communication, journaling, science-specific tools, and designated roles. Figure 2: Illustration of Tactical planning (synchronized with orbiter overflights) and Strategic Planning (office hours) shifts as they relate to UTC and Local Mean Solar Time at Oxia Planum. The 'Strategic Plan' guides and governs the decisions made during planning cycles. The rover long-term data archive, hosted on the ESA Planetary Science Archive (PSA) [11], will contain not only data from science instruments in the Pasteur Payload, but also data regarding the Rosalind Franklin rover’s journey through Oxia Planum. This is achieved via the ‘Science Target Scheme’, which prescribes data structures and links between them for a hierarchy of target classes from landing site to sample analysis scales. The Sample Analysis Protocol (SAP), in preparation, builds on the ExoMars Biosignature Score (EBS) [3], and is intended define the investigations and metrics for establishing and reporting whether a location on Mars has hosted microbial life, past or present. Finally, analyses and bespoke tools support needs in areas such as staffing, sequence optimisation for rover activities, and ‘trade-sheets’ [12] to aid decision-making for science targets. Acknowledgments We thank the ExoMars Pasteur Payload, Science, and Industrial Teams, for their profound continuing efforts to prepare the first European Mars rover...

The Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) named Schiaparelli, was the ESA-led Mars lander element of the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 mission. Following launch on 14 March 2016 with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and cruise to Mars, Schiaparelli separated for encounter with Mars to demonstrate entry, descent and landing technologies. Although on 19 October 2016 the final touchdown and surface operation were not achieved, other aspects were demonstrated and reported via real-time telemetry transmitted at 8 kbps in UHF during entry and descent.This paper presents a technical description of the elements of the Schiaparelli EDM system and its operation, plus reference to published post-flight analyses of the data obtained.

While the vast majority of ESA’s funding for Mars exploration in the 2020s is planned to be invested in ExoMars and Mars Sample Return, there is an interest to assess the possibility of implementing a small mission to Mars in parallel with, or soon after, the completion of the MSR programme. A study was undertaken in the Concurrent Design Facility at ESA ESTEC to assess low-cost mission architectures for small satellite missions to Mars. Given strict programmatic constraints, the focus of the study was on a low-cost (<250MEuro Cost at Completion), short mission development schedule with a cost-driven spacecraft design and mission architecture. The study concluded that small, low-cost Mars missions are technically feasible for launch within the decade.

The cover of this issue of Screen Bodies features the digital work “Crypto Queen” by restlessperson (Aleksandr Rybin), which the artist has minted as an NFT. We spoke with Rybin about the subject matter of his work, connections between digital and analog art, and the future of NFTs. His work is available on KnownOrigin.