Imaging services flight software on the Mars Exploration Rovers
The Imaging Services module of the Mars Exploration Rovers' on-board flight software is responsible for providing image data to the rest of the system.
robotics↗
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Results for “Rover”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Validation of autonomous rover functionality for planetary environments
NASAThis paper discusses autonomous rover functionality as it relates to planetary environmental issues and aspects of associated software validation.
functional testing↗
Closed loop control for autonomous approach and placement of science instruments by planetary rovers
This paper presents a novel, end-to-end fully integrated system being developed at JPL that is called SCAIP. SCAIP enables a rover to autonomously travel to a designated science target from an extended distance away, and precisely place an instrument on that target with a single command without additional human interaction.
closed loop control↗
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) : the US 2009 Mars rover mission
The Mars Science Laboratory mission is the 2009 United States Mars Exploration Program rover mission. The MSL Project expects to complete its pre-Phase A definition activity this fiscal year (FY2003), investigations in mid-March 2004, launch in 2009, arrive at Mars in 2010 during Northern hemisphere summer and then complete a full 687 day Mars year of surface exploration. MSL will assess the potential for habitability (past and present) of a carefully selected landing region on Mars by exploring for the chemical building blocks of life, and seeking to understand quantitatively the chemical and physical environment with which these components have interacted over the geologic history of the planet. Thus, MSL will advance substantially our understanding of the history of Mars and potentially, its capacity to sustain life.
planetary rovers↗
Driving rovers on Mars: challenges and opportunities associated with robotic planetary explorers
Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Science objectives: To determine the water, climate, and geologic history of two sites on Mars where evidence has been preserved for past and persistent liquid water activity that may have supported biotic or pre-biotic processes.
explorers↗
Mars Exploration Rovers orbit detemination system modeling
This paper will discuss the system modeling for two nearly identical spacecrafts, Mars Exploration Rovers; Spirit and Opportunity.
orbit determination↗
Tracking capability for entry, descent and landing and its support to NASA Mars Exploration Rovers
This paper described a new capability recently deployed in the NASA Deep Space Network to support the entry, descent and landing of the two Mars Exploration Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity. This final segment of a 7-month journey was critical step in enabling successful mission operation. The EDL Data Analysis (EDA) equipment processed the open loop recording samples from the existing radio science receivers, extracted the MFSK-modulated tones, and provided information on the occurrence of associated events happened onboard spacecraft. The EDA software supported real-time as well as post pass processing. The design flexibility allowed the track to be divided into different segments, each could be processed with a configuration optimized for its signal conditions and uncertainties. The use of dynamic lock state concept enabled signal detection be done with minimum required computing power - less was spent when signal was steadily detected and more when signal fluctuated. With the server-client design, the EDA supported connections to different remote operation centers for monitor purpose. The paper also presented the field results from both Spirit and Opportunity landings. The detection were much better than anticipated. All critical event tones were seen in real time. Surprising detection of LCP signal was found with Spirit landing, resulted in a reconfiguration for Opportunity landing to maximize signal detection.
tracking↗
Mars Exploration Rovers orbit determination filter strategy
The successful delivery of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) landers to well within the boundaries of their surface target areas in January of 2004 was the culmination of years of orbit determination analysis. The process began with a careful consideration of the filter parameters used for pre-launch covariance studies, and continued with the refinement of the filter after launch based on operational experience. At the same time, tools were developed to run a plethora of variations around the nominal filter and analyze the results in ways that had never been previously attempted for an interplanetary mission. In addition to achieving sub-kilometer Mars-relative orbit determination knowledge, the filter strategy and process detected unexpected error sources, while at the same time proving robust by indicating thecorrect solution. Consequently, MER orbit determination set a new standard for interplanetary navigation.
Mars Exploration Rover (MER)↗
Rover traverse science for increased mission science return
In this paper, we will describe out methods for the prioritization of geologic data acquired by an in-situ rover. Our techniques are applicable to a wide range of data modalites, however out initial demonstration is focused on image analysis, as images consume a large volume of the downlink bandwidth for such missions.
data prioritization↗
Autonomously generating operations sequences for a Mars Rover using AI-based planning
This paper discusses a proof-of-concept prototype for ground-based automatic generation of validated rover command sequences from highlevel science and engineering activities. This prototype is based on ASPEN, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) based planning and scheduling system will automatically generate a command sequence that will execute within resource constraints and satisfy flight rules.
Mars Rover↗
Mars Exploration Rover - a new standard for interplanetary navigation
The twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, arrived at Mars for landings respectively at Gusev Crater (on January 4, 2004) and Meridiani Planum (on January 25, 2004). During the development of the mission, the capability of the navigation system to deliver the landers within a particular accuracy played a major role in landing site selection. This process ultimately resulted in commitments to deliver each lander within a specified landing ellipse (about 70 km x 5 km) determined to be safe for landing and also judged to be scientifically interesting. Achieving atmospheric entry delivery accuracies consistent with this landing requirement necessitated significant improvements to the interplanetary navigation system used for MER. These improvements included new processes and software for orbit determination, aggressive, mission-critical use of interferometric ADOR tracking data, propulsive maneuver design, and entry, descent, and landing (EDL) trajectory simulation. Because these advances pressed the state -of -the art, innovative methods to verify the assumptions in the pre-launch covariance analyses were also developed. The actual achieved atmospheric entry accuracies for Spirit and Opportunity significantly bettered the requirements.
navigation↗
The Mars Exploration Rover Project : 2005 surface operations results
The intent of this paper is to provide the aerospace community a status report of the progress of the Mars Rovers exploration of the Martian surface, picking up after the landings and continuing through fiscal year 2005.
status report↗
Assemby, test, and launch operations for the Mars Exploration Rovers
In January of 2004, NASA's twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, successfully landed on opposite sides of the Red Planet after a seven month Earth to Mars cruise period. Both vehicles have operated well beyond their 90 day primary mission design life requirements. The Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) program for these missions presented unique technical and schedule challenges to the team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Among these challenges were a highly compressed schedule and late deliveries leading to extended double shift staffing, dual spacecraft operations requiring test program diversification and resource arbitration, multiple atypical test configurations for airbag/rocket landings and surface mobility testing, and verification of an exceptionally large number of separations, deployments, and mechanisms. This paper discusses the flight system test philosophies and approach, and presents lessons learned.
Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO)↗
Die Attachment for -120(sup o)C to +20(sup o)C Thermal Cycling of Microelectronics for Future Mars Rovers - an Overview
Active thermal control for electronics on Mars Rovers imposes a serious penalty in weight, volume, power consumption, and reliability.
Microelectronics electronic system reliability eli↗
Using RSVP for analyzing state and previous activities for the Mars Exploration Rovers
This paper will discuss the tools and methodologies present in the RSVP suite for examining rover state, reviewing previous activities, visually comparing telemetered results to rehearse results, and reveiwing sciene and engineering imagery.
mission planning↗
Mars Exploration Rover potentiometer problems, failures and lessons learned
During qualification testing of three types of nonwire-wound precision potentiometers for the Mars Exploration Rover, a variety of problems and failures were encountered. This paper will describe some of the more interesting problems, detail their investigations and present their final solutions. The failures were found to be caused by design errors, manufacturing errors, improper handling, test errors, and carelessness. A trend of decreasing total resistance was noted, and a resistance histogram was used to identify an outlier. A gang fixture is described for simultaneously testing multiple pots, and real time X-ray imaging was used extensively to assist in the failure analyses. Lessons learned are provided.
potentiometer↗
Motion Trajectories for Wide-area Surveying with a Rover-based Distributed Spectrometer
A mobile ground survey application that employs remote sensing as a primary means of area coverage is highlighted. It is distinguished from mobile robotic area coverage problems that employ contact or proximity-based sensing. The focus is on a specific concept for performing mobile surveys in search of biogenic gases on planetary surfaces using a distributed spectrometer -- a rover-based instrument designed for wide measurement coverage of promising search areas. Navigation algorithms for executing circular and spiral survey trajectories are presented for widearea distributed spectroscopy and evaluated based on area covered and distance traveled.
mobile robots↗
Navigation and EDL for the Mars Exploration Rovers
A viewgraph presentation on Deep Space Navigation, and Entry, Decent, and Landing (EDL) for Mars Exploration Rovers is shown. The contents include: 1) JPL Spacecraft Operating across the Solar System; 2) 2003 - 2004: The Busiest Period in JPL's History; 3) Deep Space Navigation Will Enable Many of the New NASA Missions; 4) What Exactly is Navigation vs. GNC for Deep Space?; 5) Cruise and Approach: Why is Deep Space Navigation So Difficult?; 6) Project Importance of GNC: Landing Site Selection; 7) Planetary Communications and Tracking; 8) Tracking Data Types; 9) Delta Differential One-Way Range (deltaDOR); 10) All Solutions Leading up to TCM-4 Design; 11) Entry Flight Path Sensitivities; 12) MER Navigation Results; 13) Atmospheric Entry Targeting and Delivery; 14) Landing Ellipse Orientation; 15) MER Landing Site Trade Example; 16) Entry, Descent and Landing: Entry Guidance or What Things Do We NOT do for MER Landings (but we will later...); 17) Entering Martian Space 8:29 p.m. PST (ERT); 18) Entry, Descent and Landing; 19) Entry, Descent and Landing: Terminal Guidance; 20) The Challenge Going from 12,000 mph to Zero in Less Than Six Minutes; 21) Spirit Landing Location; 22) Entry, Descent and Landing: The Future; 23) Powered Descent Time-Line; and 24) Updated Sky Crane Maneuver Description. A short summary is also given on planetary guidance, navigation and control as it pertains to EDL systems
Mars Exploration Rover (MER)↗