News Airbus time-lapse project showcased at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Feature image © Airbus/ Jan Wood. Used with permission.
As part of our continued capture of the new Mars rover, we recently built a tailored viewing solution for a special Airbus exhibition at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019.
Two of our camera systems are currently installed at the aerospace pioneer’s Stevenage base, capturing as final assembly of the robotic vehicle – officially known as the Rosalind Franklin rover – is taking place ahead of its exploratory mission to Mars in 2020.
In addition to this ongoing documentation of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) “ExoMars” project, Airbus asked us to help them showcase these developments publicly at the Festival of Speed.
To achieve this, we designed and built a new, bespoke viewing solution specifically for their exhibition at the event, allowing views from both camera systems to be displayed side-by-side to the public for the entirety of the three-day event.
Those in attendance could see work being carried out on the rover as it happened, alongside its autonomous “twin” – officially named Bruno – which was in situ as part of Airbus’ display in Goodwood’s “Future Lab”.
The side-by-side view, along with a giant clock counting down to the mission, was shared widely on social media, by both Airbus and festival-goers alike.
ExoMars Rover prototype “Bruno” at the #FOS Goodwood Festival of Speed – the slowest thing on Earth, but the fastest thing on Mars! ?@fosgoodwood #FOS2019 pic.twitter.com/FvIEWqr75H
— Airbus Space (@AirbusSpace) July 4, 2019
This exciting public showcase follows other important milestones in the ongoing “ExoMars” programme.
Earlier this year, the 300kg rover was named in honour of scientific pioneer Rosalind Franklin, as part of a public poll conducted by the ESA and UK Space Agency.
We have been providing carefully managed time-lapse of the Mars rover and its assembly since December last year.
We will continue to document these preparations in the lead up to its official launch next year, as well looking forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Airbus in all areas.