The BBC article Europe's science ministers to decide on ExoMars rover describes a substantial amount of discussion and soul-searching about the level of funding and capabilities for the rover part of the much larger ExoMars project which involves multiple spacecrafts/devices/launches. The section titled 'Dumbed-down' rover describes continued debate about inclusion of autonomous navigation capability, which can make a substantial improvement on productivity and science if the duration is limited, but will add significant complexity and development costs.
Currently it looks like the launch is 4 years away (2020).
I'm 200% all-in for rovers and robotic exploration. and it needs time and accumulation of real off-world experience, so since spacecraft and rover autonomy is inevitable, the sooner an agency gets started the better.
My question is narrowly focused on the science capability of the ExoMars rover. In addition to the wealth of experience that opperating it will provide, does it have any unique science capabilities beyond being in a new location? A new class of measurement for example?
For that matter, will the chosen location offer any pre-established new science? (not including new science not pre-established - who knows, maybe it will find strawberries this time instead of Blueberries)
