Mars fascinates scientists because of its similarity to Earth, and it fascinates the publi

c because our myth of "Martians" is a vision of life beyond Earth. The Mars【C1】______ continues with the launch of a robot vehicle by UK scientists. It's part of a project to build an "autonomous robotic scientist" to【C2】______ the Martian surface and is key to the European Space Agency's 2011 ExoMars【C3】______ .

The six-wheeled vehicle housing a myriad of scientific【C4】______ and detectors is the Mars rover, nicknamed "Bridget". Astrium, an EADS company, are【C5】______ the ExoMars rover prototype and coordinating its【C6】______ with other UK-based institutions.

Searching for a【C7】______ similar to that found on Mars, the team took the rover to El Teide National Park in Tenerife. Lester Waugh, leading the EADS Astrium team, explains, "The rover's not waterproof so the conditions need to be dry as any moisture affects the way the sand【C8】______ under the wheels."

Solar panels will supply power and radioisotope(放射性同位素 ) heater units will help it withstand the cold on Mars. The team is optimizing the performance of the wheels, suspension, the drive system,【C9】______ it doesn't dig itself in on tricky terrain.

Taking【C10】______ to twenty minutes for radio signals to reach Earth demands a powerful【C11】______ system to allow the rover to operate【C12】______ so they are also developing next generation computer software【C13】______ .

The rover will land on Mars packed to capacity【C14】______ scientific gadgets designed to be as light and as small as possible. The【C15】______ development time is essential for rigorous testing, as Waugh explains," 【C16】______ we put things in space we have to make sure that they'll【C17】 ______ the radiation environment, the【C18】______ of heat and cold. Our science【C19】______ is crucial, and malfunctions may affect that. The more science we get back the betterC1【C20】______ there is for spending more money on planetary exploration."

【C1】

A．risk

B．adventure

C．travel

D．advancement