Rover functional autonomy development for the mars mobile science laboratory

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the rover technology development, integration, and validation process now being used by the Mars Technology Program. Described are the relevant mission scenarios of long traverse and instrument placement, and the enabling algorithmic components that are being captured into a common software environment for demonstration and validation. As discussed, these components come from the ongoing 2003 rover mission, funded MTP research, and other complementary sources. All are providing software elements integrated into the CLARAty software system, enabling test and validation on a group of Mars rover experimental platforms.