Immersive Environments for Mission Operations: Beyond Mars Pathfinder

Immersive environments are just beginning to be used to support mission operations at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This technology contributed to the Mars Pathfinder Mission in planning sorties for the Sojourner rover. Utilizing stereo imagery from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera enabled the operator to visualize the terrain from the lander's point of view in 3D to assist in plotting waypoints. In addition, the stereo imagery was used to create 3D terrain models which could be viewed from any angle to provide an additional visualization tool. These technologies contributed heavily to both the mission success and the phenomenal level of public outreach achieved by Mars Pathfinder. This paper will review the utilization of immersive environment technology in support of Mars Pathfinder and discuss development beyond Pathfinder and future directions in detail. Future developments in immersive environments for mission planning include several tools which make up a system for performing and rehearsing missions. This system includes tools for planning long range sorties for highly autonomous rovers, tools for building the three-dimensional (3D) models of the terrain being explored, and advanced tools for visualizing telemetry from remote spacecraft and landers. In addition, Webbased tools for scientific collaboration in planning missions, as well as performing public outreach and education, are under development. These tools comprise a system for immersing the operator in the environment of another planet, body, or space to make the mission planning function more intuitive and effective.