The robot constructed by a Polish company Astronika will be one of the three main measuring devices taken by the Mars probe as part of the InSight mission.
NASA and ESA target to launch the probe on November 26, 2018. The main objectives of the mission are to conduct geophysical research of Mars and to check the nature of the planet’s nucleus. It prepares the ground for the first manned mission.
The probe will be equipped with three measuring instruments. One of them is HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package), which is a core sampler for measuring the heat from the interior of the planet. It will be drilled up to 5 meters into the soil. The device is 25 mm thick, weighs about 500 grams, and is made from titanium alloys, steel and tungsten.
Also other Polish entities were involved in the production processes including: Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Aviation, Institute of Welding, Technical University of Lodz and Warsaw University of Technology.
You can find more about the HP3 device here:
