The MMX Rover on Phobos: The Preliminary Design of the DLR Autonomous Navigation Experiment

Vayugundla, Mallikarjuna; Bodenmüller, Tim; Schuster, Martin J.; Müller, Marcus G.; Meyer, Lukas; Kenny, Patrick; Schuler, Florian; Bihler, Markus; Stürzl, Wolfgang; Steinmetz, Bernhard-Michael; Langwald, J.; Lund, Andreas; Giubilato, Riccardo; Wedler, Armin; Triebel, Rudolph; Smíšek, Michal; Grebenstein, Markus

doi:10.1109/aero50100.2021.9438496

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…For correlation with other onboard camera images (e.g., navigation) the rectified contextual (topography) image should be more than 20 × 20 pixels in the other cameras image. Taking the MMX rover navigation cameras [95] as an example, this corresponds to an angular FOV of >20 mrad or measured area of over 10 × 10 mm 2 . Applying the same For correlation with other onboard camera images (e.g., navigation) the rectified contextual (topography) image should be more than 20 × 20 pixels in the other cameras image.…”

Section: Appendix B Working Distance Measurement Volume Dependence On...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Applying the same For correlation with other onboard camera images (e.g., navigation) the rectified contextual (topography) image should be more than 20 × 20 pixels in the other cameras image. Taking the MMX rover navigation cameras [95] as an example, this corresponds to an angular FOV of >20 mrad or measured area of over 10 × 10 mm 2 . Applying the same logic to the MMX wheel camera as an analogue for the bottom-mounted case yields a required angular FOV of >13 mrad or >2 × 2 mm 2 .…”

Section: Appendix B Working Distance Measurement Volume Dependence On...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Technology Selection for Inline Topography Measurement with Rover-Borne Laser Spectrometers

Ryan,

Haist,

Laskin

et al. 2024

Sensors

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This work studies enhancing the capabilities of compact laser spectroscopes integrated into space-exploration rovers by adding 3D topography measurement techniques. Laser spectroscopy enables the in situ analysis of sample composition, aiding in the understanding of the geological history of extraterrestrial bodies. To complement spectroscopic data, the inclusion of 3D imaging is proposed to provide unprecedented contextual information. The morphological information aids material characterization and hence the constraining of rock and mineral histories. Assigning height information to lateral pixels creates topographies, which offer a more complete spatial dataset than contextual 2D imaging. To aid the integration of 3D measurement into future proposals for rover-based laser spectrometers, the relevant scientific, rover, and sample constraints are outlined. The candidate 3D technologies are discussed, and estimates of performance, weight, and power consumptions guide the down-selection process in three application examples. Technology choice is discussed from different perspectives. Inline microscopic fringe-projection profilometry, incoherent digital holography, and multiwavelength digital holography are found to be promising candidates for further development.

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Section: Appendix B Working Distance Measurement Volume Dependence On...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Appendix B Working Distance Measurement Volume Dependence On...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology Selection for Inline Topography Measurement with Rover-Borne Laser Spectrometers

Ryan,

Haist,

Laskin

et al. 2024

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2. We outline all details of NavDLR that are relevant for this paper in Section 3; a comprehensive description of the software component is found in [6]. In general, all algorithms and concepts of NavDLR are based on the existing navigation pipeline that was developed at DLR-RM over the last two decades with planetary exploration missions in mind [7]: RM-NAV.…”

Section: The Navdlr Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing for the MMX Rover Autonomous Navigation Experiment on Phobos

Meyer

Vayugundla

Kenny

et al. 2023

2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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The MMX rover will explore the surface of Phobos, Mars' bigger moon. It will use its stereo cameras for perceiving the environment, enabling the use of vision based autonomous navigation algorithms. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is currently developing the corresponding autonomous navigation experiment that will allow the rover to efficiently explore the surface of Phobos, despite limited communication with Earth and long turn-around times for operations. This paper discusses our testing strategy regarding the autonomous navigation solution. We present our general testing strategy for the software considering a development approach with agile aspects. We detail, how we ensure successful integration with the rover system despite having limited access to the flight hardware. We furthermore discuss, what environmental conditions on Phobos pose a potential risk for the navigation algorithms and how we test for these accordingly. Our testing is mostly data set-based and we describe our approaches for recording navigation data that is representative both for the rover system and also for the Phobos environment. Finally, we make the corresponding data set publicly available and provide an overview on its content.

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“…By introducing virtual cameras, the loop to the DLR navigation experiment [22] can be closed for representative testing prior to flight.…”

Section: Visualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

MMX Rover Simulation - Robotic Simulations for Phobos Operations

Buse

Pignede

Bertrand

et al. 2022

2022 IEEE Aerospace Conference (AERO)

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The MMX Rover, developed by CNES and DLR, will fly to and explore the surface of the Martian Moon Phobos within the JAXA Martian Moon Exploration Mission. It will be the first wheeled locomotion system in a milli-g environment. In the development of the rover, simulations have been used to test and develop its robotic activities. This paper presents the multi-physics simulations that are being used. The overall simulator setup and its main components are discussed. To provide appropriate simulations for the various topics while maintaining a unified simulator, a modular approach was required. The different modules and their role will be outlined. For this, Dymola's implementation of the Modelica modeling language provides the basis, especially regarding multi-body dynamics, and the possibility to include external libraries, e. g. for environment interaction, control logic and visualization. Finally, examples for the simulator used in driving, uprighting, alignment and separation will be presented. These examples illustrate the approach on experiment design, setup and result evaluation. To date the MMX Rover simulator is regarded as an indispensable development and analysis tools, especially since representative lab experiments are much limited when designing a robotic system for milli-g operations. It is also planned to be used during operations phase for planning and analysis.

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The MMX Rover on Phobos: The Preliminary Design of the DLR Autonomous Navigation Experiment

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Technology Selection for Inline Topography Measurement with Rover-Borne Laser Spectrometers

Technology Selection for Inline Topography Measurement with Rover-Borne Laser Spectrometers

Testing for the MMX Rover Autonomous Navigation Experiment on Phobos

MMX Rover Simulation - Robotic Simulations for Phobos Operations

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