Dust devils as observed by Mars Pathfinder

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94814/1/jgre1409.pd

A Rover for the MMX Mission to investigate the surface of Phobos

The Mars Moon eXploration (MMX) mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, will investigate the Martian Moons Phobos and Deimos. It will return samples from Phobos to Earth and deliver a small (about 25 kg) rover to the surface. This rover which is a contribution by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with additional contributions from INTA (Spain) and JAXA. Is going to be delivered by the mother spacecraft from low (<100m) altitude and will investigate the surface of Phobos with a payload of four scientific instruments: a Raman spectrometer (RAX) to measure the mineralogical composition of the surface material, a stereo pair of navigation cameras looking affront NAVCam, a radiometer (miniRAD) to measure the surface brightness temperature and determine thermal properties of both regolith and rocks (if in the field of view), and two cameras looking at the interface between wheel and surface, WheelCam. The Rover will provide scientific data on the regolith properties, provide ground truth for the orbiter instruments and give context information for the returned samples. It will also demonstrate the technology of locomotion on a low gravity body. The MMX Rover shall be able to operate for about 100 days and investigate the terrain along its path of several tens of meters. MMX will be launched in September 2024, the Rover delivery is currently planned for 2026 - 2027

ABSTRACT NEW PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES USED IN THE 2003 MARS EXPLORATION

The 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the Martian surface for more than two years (as of February 2006). During the mission, our team has routinely performed topographic mapping and rover localization to support strategic and tactical traverse planning as well as various scientific investigations. Topographic maps and localization data have been provided to MER mission scientists and engineers through a web-based GIS. This paper presents new photogrammetric techniques that are being used for the latest mapping- and localization-related activities. Among them is a bundle adjustment-based rover localization technology that has corrected wheel slippage, IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) drift and other navigation errors as large as 10.5 % in the Husband Hill area of the Gusev Crater landing site (Spirit) and 21 % in Eagle Crater at the Meridiani Planum landing site (Opportunity). Detailed 3D terrain models of major features, such as Endurance Crater and Larry’s Lookout, have been generated using multi-site or single-site panoramic stereo images. These models are being used as important data for geological analysis of craters and stratigraphy. Special products such as a north-facing slope map and a solar energy map have been generated to aid in choosing north-facing slopes where the Spirit rover can capture more solar energy during the upcoming winter season. Comparison of bundle-adjusted rover locations with those seen from orbital images is also being conducted to verify the bundle adjustment results