So I'm watching a documentary on the latest mars rover, with the broken wheel. And it has gotten stuck because it hit a soft patch of dirt and sunk. My question is have the scientists ever thought of trying to put a hovercraft on Mars?
Are there any other drive systems that be plausible? Because the way I see it this could be a real problem for future missions.
So I'm watching a documentary on the latest mars rover, with the broken wheel. And it has gotten stuck because it hit a soft patch of dirt and sunk.
Just use bigger wheels (Curiosity has much bigger wheels). There, solved the problem.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 09/18/2013 03:50 pmJust use bigger wheels (Curiosity has much bigger wheels). There, solved the problem.Also, if possible, drive faster. The dynamics change with speed. Going snail-paced ensures you get stuck in every possible spot you can get stuck. And don't stop on slippery uphill. More powerful drive train and smarter driver AI required, but as a bonus you cover a lot more distance too for increased science gain.Done myself a lot of driving on icy/snowy roads knowing that if I stop or even slow down it would mean shoveling to get going again.
Quote from: R7 on 09/19/2013 09:51 amQuote from: Robotbeat on 09/18/2013 03:50 pmJust use bigger wheels (Curiosity has much bigger wheels). There, solved the problem.Also, if possible, drive faster. The dynamics change with speed. Going snail-paced ensures you get stuck in every possible spot you can get stuck. And don't stop on slippery uphill. More powerful drive train and smarter driver AI required, but as a bonus you cover a lot more distance too for increased science gain.Done myself a lot of driving on icy/snowy roads knowing that if I stop or even slow down it would mean shoveling to get going again.I bet that you don't close your eyes for 8 to 40 minutes at a time however when your on those icy roads. That is the time delay between when a image is sent and when the Mars rover receives a correction.
Autonomous driving is a thing. Already used for Mars navigation, in fact.
There were plans for airborne craft. Such as the Ares Plane. http://marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov
Quote from: Robotbeat on 09/19/2013 06:15 pmAutonomous driving is a thing. Already used for Mars navigation, in fact.Used at slow speeds.
Quote from: Blackstar on 09/19/2013 09:03 pmQuote from: Robotbeat on 09/19/2013 06:15 pmAutonomous driving is a thing. Already used for Mars navigation, in fact.Used at slow speeds.Used at slow speeds on Mars, but not entirely on Earth. Darpa Grand Challenge winners averaged ~15 mph, which is orders of magnitude faster than rovers on Mars. It's possible, even feasible.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 09/19/2013 09:24 pmQuote from: Blackstar on 09/19/2013 09:03 pmQuote from: Robotbeat on 09/19/2013 06:15 pmAutonomous driving is a thing. Already used for Mars navigation, in fact.Used at slow speeds.Used at slow speeds on Mars, but not entirely on Earth. Darpa Grand Challenge winners averaged ~15 mph, which is orders of magnitude faster than rovers on Mars. It's possible, even feasible.How many paved roads are there on other planets?
JPL is not going to drive a rover fast autonomously on Mars.
Quote from: Blackstar on 09/20/2013 12:18 amJPL is not going to drive a rover fast autonomously on Mars.Ever? Why?