Stevenage was at the forefront of space exploration last Thursday when two Mars rovers were showcased.
The rovers were built at the town’s branch of Airbus Defence and Space, on Gunnels Wood Road, and will be launched in 2018 – arriving at the Red Planet a year later.
The consist of a small scout rover and a larger research robot named Bridget.
The project was funded by the European Space Agency and cost around £600,000 million. The scout rover will move ahead of Bridget when they arrive on the planet and scan the ground to find any places where it would get stuck.
Bridget will then track the safe route made by the scout and collect information that will be sent back to Earth the be analysed.
The robot differs from its American counterpart because it can drill up to two meters into the planet’s surface.
Scientists believe the information sent back by Bridget will give them vital clues about whether there ever was life on Mars.
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