Animation Of Newly Uploaded Mars Exploration Driving Capability

MARSDAILY

For the animation please click here Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/CMU

by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 13, 2007
Until recently, NASA's two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, could figure only one or two steps ahead in planning a path and driving on their own. New software uploaded to the rovers onboard computers now enables them to look ahead and plan a path to a spot 50 meters (164 feet) away, evading obstacles along the way.

With this software, called "Field D-Star" path planner and developed at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, the rovers could find their way out of a maze. Opportunity ran the first test of its smarter autonomous driving capability on the rover's 1,014th sol, or Martian day (Nov. 30, 2006).

This animation uses color codings to depict that drive. Red areas are "keep-out" zones established by human rover drivers to prevent Opportunity from getting too close to the edge of "Victoria Crater." White represents unknown areas. Green represents areas that would be safe to traverse based on stereo images taken by the rover's navigation cameras. The moving purple diamond represents Opportunity itself.

The blue line is the most efficient path to the desired destination. During this particular 10.5-meter (34-foot) drive, Opportunity's new software was still only a backseat driver, watching what happened and making plans but letting the rest of the system handle the driving. The rover still relied on the one-step-ahead system it had been using before getting the new software. Future tests will put the software directly in the driver's seat. So far, tests have been successful.

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

MARSDAILY

Opportunity Flips 10 Kilometers And Tests New Drive Software

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 13, 2007
Opportunity has completed a remote sensing campaign at "Cape Desire" and is on the move to the next promontory, called "Cabo Corrientes." Opportunity's odometer rolled past 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) during the 50.51-meter (166 feet) drive on sol 1080. By contrast, the NASA Level 1 requirements for the mission called for achieving at least 600 meters (1,969 feet) with one rover, and the mission design requirement was for 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).

AEROSPACE Anger As Britons Face Air Tax Hike Bats In Flight Reveal Unexpected Aerodynamics Lockheed Martin And Boeing Form Strategic Alliance To Promote Next-Gen Air Transportation System Time to test the Guardian Missile Defense System For Commercial Aircraft	CAR TECH EU proposes 25 percent cut in new car emissions EU Reaches Compromise On New Car Emissions Plan London Council Votes For Emissions-Related Parking Charges Multimedia Car Radio Of The Future
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS Interim Polar System Reaches Full Operational Capability Raytheon Demonstrates Satellite Communications Alternative Northrop Grumman Delivers Payload For First Advanced EHF Military Communications Satellite Defense Support Program Flight 23 Sees Integration Of Satellite And Launch Vehicle Payload Adapter	MISSILE DEFENSE Deployment Of US Missile Defense Could Trigger New Arms Race Israel Stresses Anti-Missile Test Message To Iran Russia Protests US Missile Shield But Vows To Avoid Arms Race Congressional Research Service Skepticism On BMD Grows
FARM NEWS Doomsday Vault Will Protect Millions Of Seeds Canadian Farmer On Global Crusade Against GM Seeds New Management Tool For East Australian Graziers Ancient Genes Used To Produce Salt-Tolerant Wheat	DISASTER MANAGEMENT Health Problems Hit Indonesia Flood Victims Japan Launches Alert System For Tsunamis And Missiles Call To Move Indonesian Capital After Deadly Floods Catastrophe Bonds A Market Answer To Hail Or High Water
TECH SPACE In Tiny Supercooled Clouds Physicists Exchange Light And Matter Liquid Crystals Stabilised Ultra-Dense Optical Storage On One Photon Nanocomposite Research Yields Strong And Stretchy Fibers	ROBO SPACE Robotic Exoskeleton Replaces Muscle Work Robotic Arm Aids Stroke Victims Scientists Study Adhesive Capabilities Of Geckos To Develop Surveillance Or Inspection Robots Japanese Women To Try Lipstick With Touch Of Button

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement