In a rugged corner of Scotland’s Highlands, cutting-edge tech destined for Mars has been put through its paces. The European Space Agency (ESA) is gearing up to send a robotic rover to the Red Planet to probe its geology and hunt for signs of ancient life, like fossils or minerals.
A team from the University of St Andrews has been testing gear in Lower Diabaig, Torridon, where billion-year-old rocks bear a striking resemblance to those on Mars. The trials involved high-tech cameras that’ll serve as the rover’s “eyes” and tools designed to sniff out traces of long-gone biology locked in stone.
The ExoMars program is a two-part mission. The first, the Trace Gas Orbiter, blasted off in 2016. The second, set for a 2028 launch, will deliver the rover, named after British scientist Rosalind Franklin, who passed away in 1958. ESA says these missions aim to answer a big question: has Mars ever hosted life?
Dr. Claire Cousins from St Andrews explained that the tech needs hardcore Earth-based testing to ensure it can handle Mars’ harsh conditions. She called the unique geology of Lower Diabaig a “perfect” proving ground. Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Landward, she said, “These rocks haven’t been warped or crushed by tectonic forces. They’re like a pristine snapshot of deep time.” The area’s billion-year-old mudstone and layered rocks are ideal for spotting signs of ancient water—a key ingredient for life. “These rocks are great at trapping evidence of past biology, sealed between layers,” Cousins noted.
“We don’t know if Mars ever had life, but these are the kinds of rocks that would hold the clues.”
Back in 2018, NASA’s Curiosity rover roamed a Martian region named after Torridon, a nod to the Torridonian Supergroup in Scotland’s northwest Highlands, home to some of the UK’s oldest traces of life. NASA often names Martian features after Earth places, and Scotland’s got a few on the map: alongside Torridon, you’ll find Siccar Point, Muck, Wick, Sandwick, and Holyrood etched into the Red Planet’s landscape.