Mars Rover Sample Return - Rover challenges

Abstract

Mission requirements, design considerations, and scenarios are presented for the Mars Rover Sample Return mission to send rovers to Mars to collect samples for return to earth. Rover automation is examined in detail. Issues of rover design related to mobility, local navigation, and sample acquisition are discussed. Scenarios for rover operation are given, including a comparison between the level of automation of the computer-aided remote driving system and the level of the semiautonomous navigation system. It is suggested that the rover must be more automated than previous aircraft.