FIDO rover field trials as rehearsal for the NASA 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers mission

Abstract

This paper describes recent extended field trials performed using the FIDO (Field Integrated Design & Operations) rover, an advanced NASA technology development platform and research prototype for the next planned rover mission to Mars. Realistic physical simulation of the NASA 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers mission was achieved through collaborative efforts of roboticists, planetary scientists, and mission operations personnel. An overview of the objectives, approach, and results is reported.