The 1999 Marsokhod rover mission simulation at Silver Lake, California: Mission overview, data sets, and summary of results

Abstract

Abstract. We report on a field experiment held near Silver Lake playa in the Mojave Desert in February 1999 with the Marsokhod rover. The payload (Descent Imager, PanCam, Mini-TES, and Robotic Arm Camera), data volumes, and data transmission/receipt windows simulated those planned for the Mars Surveyor mission selected for 2001. A central mast with a pan and tilt platform at 150 cm height carried a high-resolution color stereo imager to simulate the PanCam and a visible/near-infrared fiberoptic spectrometer (operating range 0.35-2.5 /xm). Monochrome stereo navigation cameras were mounted on the mast and the front and rear of the rover near the wheels. A field portable infrared spectroradiometer (operating range 8-14 /xm) simulated the Mini-TES. A Robotic Arm Camera, capable of close-up color imaging at 23 /xm/pixel resolution, was used in conjunction with the excavation of a trench into the subsurface. The science team was also provided with simulated images from the Mars Descent Imager and orbital panchromatic and multispectral imaging of the site obtained with the French SPOT, airborne Thermal Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, and Landsat Thematic Mapper instruments. Commands sequences were programmed and sent daily to the rover, and data returned were limited to 40 Mbits per communication cycle. During the simulated mission, 12 commands were uplinked to the rover, it traversed •90 m, six sites were analyzed, 11 samples were collected for laboratory analysis, and over 5 Gbits of data were collected. Twenty-two scientists, unfamiliar with the location of the field site, participated in the science mission from a variety of locations, accessing data via the World Wide Web. Remote science interpretations were compared with ground truth from the field and laboratory analysis of collected samples. Using this payload and mission approach, the science team synergistically interpreted orbital imaging and infrared spectroscopy, descent imaging, rover-based imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and microscopic imaging to deduce a consistent and largely correct interpretation of the geology, mineralogy, stratigraphy, and exobiology of the site. Use of imaging combined with infrared spectroscopy allowed source outcrops to be identified for local rocks on an alluvial fan. Different lithologies were distinguished both near the rover and at distances of hundreds of meters or more. Subtle differences such as a contact between dolomite and calcite were identified at a distance of 0.5 km. A biomarker for endolithic microbiota, a plausible life form to be found on Mars, was successfully identified. Microscopic imaging of soils extracted from the surface and subsurface allowed the mineralogy and ñuvial history of the trench site to be deduced. The scientific productivity of this simulation shows that this payload and mission approach has high science value and would contribute substantially to achieving the goals of Mars exploration.

FIDO prototype Mars rover field trials, Black Rock Summit, Nevada, as test of the ability of robotic mobility systems to conduct field science

“…This paper builds on the rover‐based science and operations delineated during the Pathfinder mission [ Golombek , 1997], field tests at the Pisgah Volcanic Field, California, using the Rocky 7 rover [ Arvidson et al , 1998], and results from the FIDO [ Arvidson et al , 2000a] and Marsokhod rover deployments at Silver Lake, California [ Stoker et al , 2001]. The Black Rock Summit trials differed from previous work in that FIDO, its payload, and the rover command and control system were similar to those to be used during the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Missions and what was expected to be used during the original 2003/2005 Mars Sample Return Missions.…”

Remotely sensed geology from lander‐based to orbital perspectives: Results of FIDO rover May 2000 field tests

“…One of the key conclusions of Cabrol et al [2001] was the importance of having capable instrumentation for determining mineralogy. The 1999 Marsokhod Field Experiment [ Stoker et al , 2001; Johnson et al , 2001] also focused on mineralogy and rock identification. The May 2000 FIDO test results provide an example of how to (1) investigate the geology of a landing site with infrequent uplink/downlink sessions and a rover that has onboard autonomy and (2) relate site geology from landed rover investigations to the regional geology using remote sensing.…”

Two dogs, new tricks: A two‐rover mission simulation using K9 and FIDO at Black Rock Summit, Nevada

“…The most robust approach is to closely simulate a rover mission on Mars with science teams using only observations of equivalent quality to those obtainable from actual Mars missions. Field experiments along these lines have previously been performed using the Russian‐developed Marsokhod rover [ Greeley et al , 1994; Stoker , 1998; Christian et al , 1997, Stoker et al , 2001], the FIDO rover developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [ Arvidson et al , 2000, 2002], and the Nomad rover developed by Carnegie Mellon University [ Cabrol et al , 2001a, 2001b].…”

“…VR can improve the capabilities of scientists to understand information from robotic exploration vehicles by giving them user interface tools that provide a sense of presence in the remote environment [ McGreevy , 1992, 1993]. Throughout the last decade, operator interface tools using VR have been developed for controlling underwater exploration vehicles [ Stoker et al , 1995], a walking robot exploring a volcanic caldera [ Fong et al ,1995; Bares and Wettergreen , 1997], and planetary surface rovers in mission simulations [ Stoker , 1998, Christian et al , 1997; Stoker et al , 2001]. In some previous field experiments [ Christian et al , 1997; Stoker , 1998], VR was used to display the rover's position and state within the terrain to operators and science teams, but because VR requires fast graphical rendering, interactive rendering of image textures was not possible on workstations of that vintage.…”