Testing Times for Robotic Explorers

By Lee Pullen

Many space missions use robots to explore. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still travelling around Mars, taking pictures and digging in the dirt. But could a robot identify alien life? How would a machine know the difference, for instance, between a rock and bacteria?

Proving Grounds

Hoping to answer this question, a group of scientists, led by Derek Pullan of the University of Leicester, used robotic explorer instruments to examine rocks. To make their tests as realistic as possible, the researchers collected rock samples similar to what we'd find on Mars and then studied them with high-tech equipment. The instruments – which included a camera, microscope, and sampling device -- were very similar to those carried on the lost Beagle 2 probe.

The idea was to see if the instruments could detect signs of living creatures in the rocks. Although the tests were carried out in a lab, the scientists made the conditions as close as possible to those experienced by probes on the martian surface.

The Whole Picture

All of the instruments tested were good at finding signs of life. The interesting result is that they were much better when all used together. This shows how important it is to not cut corners when building robotic explorers. To get the whole picture you need a wide variety of instruments working together.

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