Newsgroups: cmu.cs.robotics,comp.robotics
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!terry
From: terry+@cs.cmu.edu (Terry Fong)
Subject: Planetary Rover Mission Simulation (Pele Project, Kilaeua)
Message-ID: <D3wAsC.HAq.1@cs.cmu.edu>
Summary: NASA Ames/MDAC/JASON performing Marsokhod rover tests
Keywords: Marsokhod, rover
Sender: news@cs.cmu.edu (Usenet News System)
Nntp-Posting-Host: n3.sp.cs.cmu.edu
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 11:21:47 -0500
Lines: 81

Hi all,

The following describes an upcoming planetary rover mission simulation.
I will be posting status reports as I receive them.

Cheers,

-Terry

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		 PELE LUNAR ROVER MISSION SIMULATION
		       Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

The Pele lunar rover mission concept is a proposal developed by a
joint team of the University of Hawaii, NASA Ames Research Center,
NASA Johnson Space Center, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, the Lavochkin
Association, and Brown University.  The Principal Investigator is Dr.
Jeff Taylor, a faculty member at the University of Hawaii and a former
chairperson of NASA's Lunar Exploration Science Working Group. The
mission concept proposes to explore issues in lunar science and
planetary volcanism that were left unanswered by Apollo. The focus of
the proposed mission is a year-long, 100 km traversal of the
Aristarchus crater region on the Moon by an advanced version of the
Marsokhod rover. The present plan calls for a late 1998 launch by a
NASA / McDonnell Douglas Delta II rocket.

The Pele team has been conducting a series of field trials with the
Marsokhod rover during the past two years. On February 13 the team
will begin a month long series of tests in the Kilauea Volcano
(Hawaii). A major focus of these tests is to evaluate the use of
advanced teleoperations methods (e.g., virtual environment based
control, high-fidelity stereo video based telepresence) for operating
the rover from geographically distributed remote control stations.
Terrestrial and satellite communications will be used to connect the
Marsokhod to the principal control station at the NASA Ames Research
Center (Moffett Field, California). The primary operator interface to
be used during the tests is the "Virtual Environment Vehicle
Interface" (VEVI), developed by the NASA Ames Intelligent Mechanisms
Group.

The Kilauea test series has been designed to include simulations of
both Mars and lunar exploration missions. From February 13 to the
15th, the tests will be conducted in "Mars" mode in which only slow
scan images from rover cameras will be transmitted to the control
station. From February 16th to the 18th, the tests will be conducted
in "lunar" mode, in which higher bandwidth links will provide live
video from the site. A science team comprised of planetary scientists,
volcanologists, and geologists from NASA Ames, the University of
Hawaii, and the University of Arizona will be directing rover
operations from 9am to 5pm (PST) each day. February 20th has been
designated as a public outreach and press day, during which several
sites throughout the continental U.S. will be able to view and control
the rover. Public access is being provided to support the Jason VI:
Island Earth expedition in collaboration with the JASON Foundation for
Education.

For additional information on Marsokhod and JASON activities check the
following WWW pages:

NASA Ames Intelligent Mechanisms Group
  http://maas-neotek.arc.nasa.gov/
  http://maas-neotek.arc.nasa.gov/marsokhod

McDonnell Douglas
  http://pat.mdc.com/HB/new/Planetary/planetary.html

JASON Foundation
  http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/JASON.html

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_______________________________________________________________________________
 "San Francisco has only one                        Terry Fong <terry@cmu.edu>
  drawback - it's hard to leave..."        Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon
                -- Rudyard Kipling         Pittsburgh, PA 15213   412-268-1416
-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
 "San Francisco has only one                        Terry Fong <terry@cmu.edu>
  drawback - it's hard to leave..."        Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon
                -- Rudyard Kipling         Pittsburgh, PA 15213   412-268-1416
