Marsokhod Planetary Rover Status Report

5 February 1995

Written by John Garvey

This weekend saw the successful accomplishment of two critical technical milestones requiring completion prior to shipping the rover to Kilauea. Specifically, Butler Hine, at NASA Ames, was able to operate the Marsokhod, located in McDonnell Douglas' Robotics Lab in Huntington Beach, using Ames' SGI-based Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) software. He retrieved images from the sterescopic cameras mounted on the mast and commanded the rover to drive out of the lab, into a corridor, around several doors and then outside (several images of this test will be available on the Ames and MDA home pages in the next day or two).

Simultaneously, Karl Pfitzer employed the PIN site control software that has been under development for the JASON phase of field operations. He was able to make several adjusments involving the capture of image and state vector data that was broadcast over the network and subsequently also drove the rover.

These tests demonstrated that the core elements for the upcoming field activities are in place. The biggest open variables are a) network-related issues that can only be identified once operations start phasing in at the test site, and b) the arm software. With regards to the former, the NSI and EDS comm equipment is scheduled to arrive in Hawaii on 8 February, with check-out testing beginning the next day. As for arm control, the basic software is written, but there are still some interrupt-handling processes associated with the motion control card that need to be resolved. Jay Steele has the action item to work these as well as a number of minor sensor algorithm adjustments during the next few days at Ames using the MEL testbed vehicle.

Based on this progress, the rover team in Huntington Beach is now packing the Marsokhod and the support equipment for on-schedule delivery to the shipper tomorrow (Monday). It will arrive in Hawaii on Thursday, 9 February. Karl and Gary will also deliver the baseline PIN control software to EDS and WilTel for installation on the PIN site computers.

The following is the top-level schedule of major events for the next week leading up to the start of the Mars science testing on Monday, 13 February. A more detailed schedule is available for those members of the technical team requiring better insight.

Sunday - 5 February
- pack the Marsokhod and support equipment
Monday - 6 February
- deliver the Marsokhod to the shipper
- Dave James and Greg Loboda leave for Hawaii
- MDA will provide the baseline PIN rover control software to EDS
Tuesday - 7 February
- organizational meeting at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Wednesday - 8 February
- NSI and EDS communications network gear arrive in Hilo
Thursday - 9 February
- Marsokhod reaches Hawaii
- rest of Marsokhod technical team arrives
- begin communications network check-out
Friday - 10 February
- begin Marsokhod check-out tests
- demonstrate VEVI and PIN control from Ames and McDonnell Douglas
Saturday - 11 February
- demonstrate rover operation at the field site
Sunday - 12 February
- contingency day
Monday - 13 February
- begin Mars science tests

On other fronts, the team continues to wait for word on the fate of the Discovery proposal selections (see note below for more information on the Pele lunar rover proposal). It still appears that the announcement could come sometime during the week of 13 February, right in the middle of the Mars and/or lunar science tests in Kilauea.

For additional information on Marsokhod and JASON activities check the following home pages:

McDonnell Douglas data on the Marsokhod and Kilauea preparations:
http://pat.mdc.com/HB/new/Planetary/planetary.html
NASA Ames Intelligent Mechanisms Lab (for images and other related data):
http://maas-neotek.arc.nasa.gov/
JASON home page
/JASON.html

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Gene Carl Feldman (gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov) (301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola, JASON Foundation for Education (todd@jason.org)