Design and Analysis of an All-terrain Robotic Rover for Planetary Lava Tube Exploration

Abstract

Planetary lava tubes are valuable for the extraterrestrial exploration due to its intriguing subsurface spaces for resource deposition and human habitation. However, the terrain and thermal environments inside the lava tube are unclear and complex. Therefore, the robotic rover with a good terrain traversability is the first choice to conduct the pioneering survey. An all-terrain robotic rover with a novel six-wheel suspension system is proposed in this study. The maximum obstacle crossing height is analyzed and the numerical simulation is conducted for the stability analysis. It shows this robotic rover has an excellent environmental adaptability to both structured and unstructured terrain through the investigation of simulation and experiment. Overall, this study provides a good reference to develop the robotic rover for the space exploration on the Moon or Mars.