Driving on the Surface of Mars Using the Rover Control Workstation

Abstract

On July 4, 1997 the Mars Pathfinder Spacecraft and Sojourner Microrover safely landed on the surface of Mars and began an ambitious mission of exploration. The Rover Control Workstation (RCW) was the software/hardware system used to control Sojourner. It provided the only means of creating the daily sequences of commands used to control all rover activities. Upon completion of the extended mission (30 days following landing), Sojourner had accomplished all project mission goals and continued to operate beyond expectations. It performed numerous technology experiments and proved the concepts for future planetary robotic missions. It has also provided large science returns by accurately placing its primary instrument, the alpha proton x-ray spectrometer on numerous Martian rocks and soil, to determine their elemental compositions as well as taking many high resolution rover-eye-view images of the surface using three on-board CCD cameras. Using the RCW system to control Sojourner's movement across the terrain, the Rover Uplink Operations team led it to specific rocks and science targets. The RCW provided this team, consisting of the rover driver and sequence planner, the tools needed to create complex sequences