Chapter 1: Celebrating Rosalind Franklin

On February 7, 2019, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that their upcoming Mars rover would bear the name of Rosalind Franklin, a trailblazer in DNA science. Franklin's groundbreaking research has provided vital insights into the DNA structure, and this honor recognizes her lifetime of dedication to scientific advancement.

The rover, previously called ExoMars, is set to launch in July 2020 alongside another robotic explorer. After its journey to Mars, it is expected to land in March 2021. Upon touchdown, the rover will begin its quest for the essential components of life on the Red Planet, reflecting the interests of the remarkable scientist who was born in 1920.

“Rosalind Franklin stands as one of the most impactful women in science. Her contributions to the understanding of DNA's structure were revolutionary. It is appropriate that the rover named after her will search for life’s building blocks on Mars, just as she did on Earth,” stated Alice Bunn, International Director of the UK Space Agency.

The Rosalind Franklin rover (in the foreground) will investigate the Martian landscape, while a Russian stationary science platform remains in position (in the background). Image credit: ESA/ATG medialab

If the mission proves successful, this will mark the first Mars rover from ESA touching down at Oxia Planum, a region just north of Mars' equator. The geology of this area is particularly compelling, potentially revealing evidence of ancient life on Mars. Scientists believe that this region, similar to the nearby Mawrth Vallis, once had water flowing through it. If true, it could be one of the prime locations to search for traces of primitive life, with some records possibly dating back four billion years.

Rosalind Franklin, portrayed in her research setting. Image credit: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, from the collection of Jenifer Glynn (CC).

“Mawrth Vallis is a site of unique scientific interest, but Oxia Planum offers a greater safety margin for landing and navigating the terrain to reach scientifically valuable locations identified from orbit,” remarked Jorge Vago, project scientist for ExoMars 2020.

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars program, which includes the Rosalind Franklin rover, aims to explore whether life ever existed—or might still exist—on Mars.

The European Space Agency has named its Mars rover after Rosalind Franklin, a pioneer in DNA research, recognizing her significant contributions to science.

The Rosalind Franklin rover will traverse the Martian landscape, occasionally delving as deep as two meters (approximately seven feet) into the planet's surface using its specialized drill. This tool will facilitate experiments and the extraction of Martian crust samples. Meanwhile, a Russian surface platform will remain stationary to analyze the area's geology and chemistry. Information from both vehicles will be transmitted back to Earth via the Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been orbiting Mars since 2016.

Given the extreme cold and high radiation levels, coupled with the scarcity of liquid water on Mars' surface, many scientists believe that the most promising locations to search for both past and present life lie beneath the surface.

The ExoMars drill, designed to penetrate the Martian surface, searching for signs of life. Image credit: European Space Agency (ESA).

The solar-powered Rosalind Franklin rover will utilize artificial intelligence to make autonomous decisions based on data received from its optical sensors. The onboard PanCam, a 3D camera developed by UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, will be instrumental in identifying potential signs of life.

The mission to discover life on Mars would likely have captivated Rosalind Franklin herself. A graduate of Newnham College in Cambridge in 1941, she earned her degree at a time when women were not permitted to receive full academic honors. She later attained a PhD from Ohio University in 1945.

Throughout her career, Franklin made significant contributions to the understanding of DNA, RNA, graphite, coal, and viruses.

A blue plaque commemorating Rosalind Franklin at Donovan Court, Drayton Gardens, Chelsea. Image credit: Gareth E Kegg/Wikipedia (CC).

Franklin gained notoriety for her pioneering X-ray diffraction images of DNA, research that was subsequently utilized by Crick and Watson in their well-known paper on DNA's structure. Additionally, she led investigations into the genetic structures of tobacco and polio viruses.

The name Rosalind Franklin was selected for the rover by a panel from over 36,000 public suggestions. Those who proposed the winning name were invited to the naming ceremony in Stevenage, England, attended by British astronaut Tim Peake.

Franklin passed away from ovarian cancer in 1958 at the young age of 37. Four years later, Watson and Crick received the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. As the Nobel Prize can only be awarded to living individuals, Franklin's critical contributions were largely overlooked, and her work remained unrecognized until the 1990s.

Notably, over one-third of the scientific instruments on the rover will be overseen by teams led by women.