A rover named Zoë recently traveled to the dry, harsh terrain of Chile’s Atacama Desert. Equipped with a drill, cameras, spectrometers and other sensors, Zoë spent two weeks analyzing the soil from above and below the surface, providing valuable data for future missions to Mars.

Astrobiology Magazine has exclusive coverage of the project.

This recent excursion with Zoë is part of a longer three-year campaign, led by David Wettergreen of Carnegie Mellon University, to test the rover’s instruments and drilling capability. The project is supported through NASA’s ASTEP program to advance the technology and techniques used in planetary exploration.