Bridget’s fist run near the LCC
Yesterday Bridget spent a day at the LCC, running some navigation and locomotion tests. This was the first time Bridget encountered the dense rocky terrain of the deep Atacama desert.
How fast can a Mars rover go?
The question should really be how fast a Mars rover needs to go. When you are exploring another planet the saying “slow and steady wins the race” is especially true. On Mars rovers need to manage the limited resources they have in terms of power and processing power. During a scenario like SAFER the science team still needs time to make the correct decisions on which way to proceed, scans need to be completed with the cameras, radar and other instruments and the rover needs to navigate safely in unexplored terrain.
Imagine it like you are exploring a newly discovered cave, it is dark, slippery and no-one has been there before. If you want your exploration to be a success you will need to proceed with care at a steady slow place and look around with your light often. Similarly our rover explores slowly and steadily, and uses it’s instrument suit to scan the terrain often.
Have a look at the following video to see how fast a Mars rover moves:
This was a short test near the LCC with navigation but without any of the instruments.
Source: SAFER Blog