At first glance you might think Vince Cable has adjusted pretty well to Mars' hostile environment. Despite the chilly −63 °C temperatures and lack of oxygen, the MP appears relaxed, wearing just a suit and tie. But the Secretary of State for Business is in fact visiting a test yard in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, designed to replicate Mars. The new Airbus Defence Space ‘Mars Yard’ measures 98ft (30 metres) by 43ft (13 metres) and contains more than 300 tonnes of sand meaning engineers can test the next generation of vehicles destined to explore the red planet. Explorer? British Business Secretary Vince Cable stands with the 'Bridget' rover on the Mars Yard at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage. The Mars Yard provides a test bed area for prototype rover vehicles that may be used to obtain data from the surface of Mars
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The new Airbus Defence and Space 'Mars Yard' has been unveiled at the company's complex in Hertfordshire and features 300tonnes of sand
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The yard will be used to test the autonomous navigation system of Europe's next generation ExoMars rover
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Manufacture of the rover will begin early in 2015 and mission launch is planned for 2018
Europe's first @placeholder rover will be able to autonomously navigate up to 230 ft (70 metres) a day with no outside guidance from ground control.