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Inside, each rover will carry a small computer, a wireless radio and a stereo camera to capture 3D images. Only one of them will be able to collect as much data as larger ones, deploying several at once can reduce the risk of failure of a mission disaster.
CADRE was developed within NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and tested by researchers Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Laboratory At the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It is the same lab that tested SLOPE VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), which will search for a mobile robot and icy moon water that will be launched in November 2023.
One of the goals of the project is to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2009 with NASA’s Mars spacecraft, Spirit, a nightmare for space exploration enthusiasts.
One of two twin rovers sent to the other side of Mars in 2004, Spirit gave some of the most accurate views of the Red Planet that humans have ever seen. But five years after his mission began, the wheels of the Spirit were stuck in the soft sand of Mars. NASA engineers worked for eight months to move it, but after several failed attempts, Spirit was eventually left on a stationary science platform.
To ensure that new rovers don’t get stuck, SLOPE simulates the special lands they have to navigate, from the dusty land of the moon to the rocky surface of Mars. The researchers use motion capture technology involving a pair of stereo cameras to create thousands of 3D images used to measure the speed of each rover and the movement of its tires, helping to predict how the ground might react.
“This system allows us to really characterize traction performance,” says Schepelmann. “Basically, we are able to measure how each part of the robot moves.”
Wolfgang Fink, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona who studies autonomous exploration systems, says that while roves like Curiosity and Perseverance have limited autonomy, moving to full autonomy through projects like CADRE will allow humanity to explore areas we may never have. otherwise arrive.
On average, communication only takes seconds to travel between Earth and the moon, but that time is extended to minutes if the message is to travel from Mars. Titan, as far away as Saturn’s largest moon, would take hours of communication between mission control and any landing or roar, which means any unforeseen incident could jeopardize the entire mission. The further away we want to explore from home, the more important autonomy will become.
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