Mars Pathfinder Microrover - Implementing a Low Cost Planetary Mission Experiment Iaa-l-0510

The Mars Pathfinder Microrover Flight Experiment (MFEX) is a NASA Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT) flight experiment which has been delivered and integrated with the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) lander and spacecraft system. The total cost of the MFEX mission, including all subsystem design and development, test, integration with the MPF lander and operations on Mars has been capped at $25M. At time of delivery, approximately two-thirds of the cost has been incurred. The components of this rover, implemented in combinations of commercial, mil-spec and some space qualified parts, have undergone and passed environment and operational test series derived from that expected in configuration with the lander and in operation on the Martian surface. This paper discusses the process and the implementation scheme which has resulted in the development of this first Mars rover. The subsystem designs which have proven successful (and not so successful) are also described briefly along with the requirements and constraints (with cost an integral factor) which resulted in these designs. The qualification status of these subsystems is also presented.