Long-Range Rovers for Mars Exploration and Sample Return
نویسنده
چکیده
This paper discusses long-range rovers to be flown as part of NASA’s newly reformulated Mars Exploration Program (MEP). These rovers are currently scheduled for launch first in 2007 as part of a joint science and technology mission, and then again in 2011 as part of a planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. These rovers are characterized by substantially longer range capability than their predecessors in the 1997 Mars Pathfinder and 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions. Topics addressed in this paper include the rover mission objectives, key design features, and technologies.
منابع مشابه
Technology Development and Testing for Enhanced Mars Rover Sample Return Operations
This paper describes several Jet Propulsion Laboratory research efforts being conducted to support Mars sample return in the coming decade. After describing the 2003/05 mission scenario, we provide an overview of new technologies emerging from three complimentary research efforts: Long Range Science Rover, Sample Return Rover, and FIDO Rover. The results show improvements in planning, navigatio...
متن کاملPlanetary Rover Developments Supporting Mars Exploration, Sample Return and Future Human-Robotic Colonization
We overview our recent research on planetary mobility. Products of this effort include the Field Integrated Design & Operations rover (FIDO), Sample Return Rover (SRR), reconfigurable rover units that function as an All Terrain Explorer (ATE), and a multi-Robot Work Crew of closely cooperating rovers (RWC). FIDO rover is an advanced technology prototype; its design and field testing support NAS...
متن کاملIn-situ Exploration of Mars Using Rover Systems
This paper will describe a NASA/JPL rover system that has been focused on developing technologies required for the in-situ exploration of Mars. In particular, JPL has been developing a class of rovers that carry significant science payloads that address geological exploration and discovery along with the ability to acquire samples from soils and rocks. The aim of this work is to validate missio...
متن کاملOverview of the Mars Exploration Rovers’ Autonomous Mobility and Vision Capabilities
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers have set the standard for autonomous robotic exploration of planetary surfaces. Their abilities to detect and avoid geometric hazards, and measure and compensate for slip or heading changes, have made it possible to drive farther and in highly sloped areas, increasing the science return of the mission. Software updates that took place during the more than three ye...
متن کاملAutonomous Rover Technology for Mars Sample Return
Planetary rovers enable good sample selection and retrieval for Mars sample return missions. After landing, the rovers search for the best possible scientific samples in the region around a lander, and they return these selected samples to an ascent vehicle that launches the samples into Mars orbit. To streamline the search for, the acquisition, and the retrieval of samples, rover autonomy is a...
متن کامل