Automated Surface Mission Planning Considering Terrain, Shadows, Resources and Time

Abstract

This paper summarizes initial work on a planetary rover planning domain where long-distance traverse, large-scale terrain, changing line-of-sight geometry, finite resources and time strongly affect the strategy for achieving mission objectives. In this domain, because path planning, activity scheduling and resource usage are closely coupled, they must be considered simultaneously. We introduce a preliminary automated planner that combines planetary and rover modeling with a novel search algorithm to produce coarse navigational and activity plans for long-distance rover traverses. Results from simulation illustrate the utility of the approach, and pave the way for field experiments in planetary analog terrain. Finally, we present our plans for future research and development in the domain.