NASA, ESA to Send Sample Transfer Arm to Mars; Retrieving Rover Samples for Historic Trip to Earth

The effort to bring Martian samples back to Earth will involve using a European 2.5-meter robotic arm to pick up tubes filled with valuable Martian soil and transfer them to a rocket for groundbreaking interplanetary transport. The advanced robot, named the Sample Transfer Arm (STA), will be crucial to the success of the Mars Sample Return mission.

The STA is designed to be self-sufficient, highly dependable, and strong. The robot can perform various movements with seven degrees of freedom and has two cameras and numerous sensors. It also has a grip-like hand that can grab and handle the sample tubes from different positions.

The robotic arm will touch on Mars to pick up the sample tubes that NASA's Perseverance rover is collecting from the planet's surface. With the capability to "see," "feel," and make autonomous decisions, the arm's high level of dexterity allows it to remove the tubes from the rover, retrieve them from the Martian surface, place them inside a container, and seal the lid before taking off from Mars.

A Helping Hand

The European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) will meet up with the container carrying the Martian samples and transport them back to Earth. The collaboration between NASA and ESA aims to bring Martian samples to Earth's top laboratories by 2033, as reported by Phys.

According to David Parker, the Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency (ESA), handling the valuable Martian samples and preparing them for their journey from Mars to Earth is an incredible accomplishment. The Italian aerospace company Leonardo will design, produce, integrate, and test the Sample Transfer Arm after a successful study and prototyping stage. Parker notes that the arm demonstrates the extensive expertise and knowledge available in Europe and will be the key player in taking planetary science to new heights.

The Sample Transfer Arm is a highlight of space robotics and is designed to be autonomous, dependable, and sturdy. Its structure resembles a human arm with a shoulder, elbow, and wrist and has built-in intelligence and cameras. The robot can perform a wide variety of movements with seven degrees of freedom and has a high level of dexterity, allowing it to extract tubes from the rover, retrieve them from the Martian surface, place them in a container, and close the lid before taking them off from Mars.

(Photo: ESA/NASA)
A European robotic arm for Mars

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European Countries Handshake

The two cameras and numerous sensorscollaborater to make decisions and coordinate movements. The harsh Martian environment, including the abundant dust and extreme temperatures (-130°C to +70°C), are considered in the design and construction of the robotic arm.

At the Farnborough International Airshow, the European Space Agency signed a contract with Leonardo to design, build, integrate, and test the Sample Transfer Arm for the Mars Sample Return mission. Leonardo is heading a European consortium of companies from Spain, France, Romania, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

The Italian Space Agency has supported the project from the start. ASI's President Giorgio Saccoccia noted that Italy would have a leading role in the exploration of Mars and the Mars Sample Return program through its investments. Gabriele Pieralli, the managing director of Leonardo's Electronics Division, stated that the contract reinforces their position as leaders in space robotics, a crucial technology for planetary exploration and orbital operations.