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From Prime to Extended Mission: Evolution of the MER Tactical Uplink Process
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2006
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EngineeringExtended MissionMilitary ContextField RoboticsIntelligent RoboticsMer OperationsIntelligent SystemsDefence TechnologySpace RoboticsUnmanned Ground VehicleMartian ExplorationSystems EngineeringMer TeamComputer EngineeringHm&e SystemsAerospace EngineeringCommand And ControlAutomationCustom Software ToolsTechnologyRoboticsAutomation EngineeringMission-critical System
The MER tactical operations process was originally designed for a limited prime mission and was not intended to be sustained indefinitely. The study aimed to develop an intensive tactical operations process that would support daily commanding of two robotic rovers during a 90‑day surface mission. The process combined new procedures, custom software tools, a Mars‑time staffing schedule, and 7‑day‑a‑week operations to reduce the traditional weeks‑long command turnaround to roughly 18 hours. During the prime mission, the MER team progressively shortened the process to about 11 hours, reduced workshifts, and adopted an Earth‑time schedule, eventually enabling 5‑day‑a‑week operations and remote participation, allowing the mission to continue for over two Earth years despite shrinking resources and aging rovers.
To support a 90-day surface mission for two robotic rovers, the Mars Exploration Rover mission designed and implemented an intensive tactical operations process, enabling daily commanding of each rover. Using a combination of new processes, custom software tools, a Mars-time staffing schedule, and seven-day-a-week operations, the MER team was able to compress the traditional weeks-long command-turnaround for a deep space robotic mission to about 18 hours. However, the pace of this process was never intended to be continued indefinitely. Even before the end of the three-month prime mission, MER operations began evolving towards greater sustainability. A combination of continued software tool development, increasing team experience, and availability of reusable sequences first reduced the mean process duration to approximately 11 hours. The number of workshifts required to perform the process dropped, and the team returned to a modified 'Earth-time' schedule. Additional process and tool adaptation eventually provided the option of planning multiple Martian days of activity within a single workshift, making 5-day-a-week operations possible. The vast majority of the science team returned to their home institutions, continuing to participate fully in the tactical operations process remotely. MER has continued to operate for over two Earth-years as many of its key personnel have moved on to other projects, the operations team and budget have shrunk, and the rovers have begun to exhibit symptoms of aging.