A programme
created in cooperation between ESA and Roscosmos, which is trying to find signs of
biological processes on Mars indicating whether life has ever existed on that
planet. The programme includes two missions:
The
Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli module (launched in 2016)
The
Rosalind Franklin rover and a stationary surface science platform Kazachok (put
on hold in March 2022 due to impossibility of cooperating with Roscosmos; launch
date is not yet known)
The Trace
Gas Orbiter’s task is to look for trace atmospheric gases, including methane,
which would indicate the presence of biological processes, whereas the Rosalind
Franklin rover is supposed to look for evidence of life on the surface and
underground.
Etymology:
“Exo”
in ExoMars refers to “exobiology”, a branch of sciences investigating life
beyond Earth. A rover involved in this mission is named after Rosalind
Franklin, who was an English chemist known in particular for her contribution
to DNA research. The platform Kazachok is named after a Russian folk dance.
