Mars rover technology tested out on Highland rocks

Technology which will be used in the search for evidence of life on Mars has been tested in the Scottish Highlands.

The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to send a robotic rover to the Red Planet to study its geology – and look for fossils and minerals.

A University of St Andrews team has been testing equipment in Lower Diabaig, in Torridon, where there are rocks that are billions of years old and similar to those found on Mars.

The trials have included of cameras of the type to be used as the rover's "eyes", and kit that can detect ancient biology preserved in the rock.