A Mars Rover for MPS

MPS apprentices have built a model of ESA’s rover Rosalind Franklin as part of an independent project. 

To the point:

• Mars Rover: Three years before “Rosalind Franklin” is scheduled to land on Mars, MPS apprentices have completed their own model of the Mars rover.
• Apprentice Project: From the initial idea to the finished model, every step of the process was handled by the young craftsmen.
• Collaboration: Twelve apprentices from the precision mechanics workshop, metalworking shop, and data center contributed their skills and expertise to the project.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars rover Rosalind Franklin is an autonomous, mobile research station: About the size of a small car, the vehicle features six individually controllable wheels, scientific instruments, a camera, a drill, and solar panels to search for possible traces of life on our neighboring planet. According to current plans, the rover is scheduled to land in the red Martian sand no earlier than 2029. A new model of “Rosalind Franklin” is now already on display at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS). About half the size of the original, the replica provides a vivid impression of the design and functionality of its space-traveling prototype.

Like every Mars rover, the new model is the result of a collaboration. However, in this case, it wasn’t scientific and technical teams from around the world who worked together, but rather young craftsmen at the MPS. Twelve trainees from the institute’s own precision mechanics workshop, the metalworking shop, and the computer center planned and implemented the project together and independently.

“We did everything ourselves from scratch—from the initial idea to the finished model,” recalls Pascal Schlote, an apprentice in the institute’s metalworking shop. Just as with the construction of a real rover, the team approached the task step by step. They started with a cardboard model to get a first sense of the dimensions and components. “Then came a model made of simple aluminum profiles, and only then did we begin building the actual model,” explains Patrik Kruck, an apprentice in the precision mechanics workshop. 

Of course, the model does not contain any scientific instruments. And the solar panels don’t actually generate electricity either. But the drill, which can take soil samples from depths of up to two meters when the real rover is deployed on Mars, is fully functional; the wheels can turn. If the necessary electronics were added, the model could also be driven and steered.

Perhaps an idea for the next apprentice project? Sure. Why not? After all, not only the twelve young craftsmen but also their instructors are satisfied. “The Mars rover is the first apprentice project of its kind at the institute. The apprentices not only honed their technical skills but, above all, learned a great deal about teamwork, planning, and implementation,” says Julia Holzapfel, an industrial mechanic and trainer at MPS.

About the apprenticeship program at MPS

MPS currently trains young adults in three different fields: industrial mechanic specializing in precision instrument engineering, metalworker specializing in construction technology, and IT specialist for system integration. In addition to imparting technical expertise, the institute places great emphasis on team spirit, for example through annual training field trips and the new apprentice project. During the course of their training, some young people also have the opportunity to work directly on space research projects. 

About the Mars Rover “Rosalind Franklin”

The Mars rover Rosalind Franklin is part of ESA’s Mars mission ExoMars and is scheduled to begin its journey to Mars in 2028 at the earliest. Its arrival is planned for 2029. One of the scientific instruments for the mission was developed at the MPS. The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) will search for traces of life in soil samples from Mars. The technicians in the MPS workshops have manufactured components for the instrument. The rover is named after the British biochemist Rosalind Franklin, whose research laid important groundwork for the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.