Marsokhod Planetary Rover Status Report

27 February 1995

Written by John Garvey

Hawaii Volcano Observatory -- Kilauea, Hawaii

On the first day of JASON field operations, the Marsokhod is beginning to show signs of structural wear and tear after three weeks of daily operations in the rugged environment of the Kilauea volcano. The lava also impacted operations by forcing the team to re-locate the vehicle from its initial site before the last scheduled demonstration.

Over the weekend, the on-site team geared up for today's ops by supporting several JASON rehearsal efforts. These led to the identification of a stressed cable harness in the vehicle's power system, which may in part be associated with the higher operating temperatures that are now being experienced near the lava flows ( at times exceeding 120 F as the winds come off the active flows that are only tens of feet away from the vehicle). The situation was nominal this morning (5 a.m. HI time) until a bracket connecting the rear axle to the chassis failed, rendering the vehicle essentially immobile. Student operators at the designated PIN sites in later demos were able to control the pan-tilt camera assembly and the manipulator arm.

A repair for the bracket piece is now under way at a local machine shop in Hilo and the plan is to get the rover back into full operation by tomorrow (Tuesday). A key consideration will be the selection of a demonstration site that is both educationally challenging and not excessively hard on the rover, given that there are still eleven full days of operations to go. Such a selection in turn will have to be continually monitored to minimize threats to operations and the vehicle itself as the lava flows shift over time.

On a broader perspective, a NASA press conference is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. EST for the announcement of the Discovery proposal winners. NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Associate Administrator Wesley Huntress are the primary speakers. The official press bulletin reports that they will identify one mission for initial implementation, with three additional concepts also being selected for further study and possible evolution into the next subsequent Discovery mission. NASA TV will carry this press conference live. Should the lunar rover mission be one of those selected, we plan to hold a short press conference at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu later in the day.

Garv

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