The rover
going on this mission is very different from any of the other rovers sent to
mars before. This rover has a lot
of new technology built into it.
It is made up of many different parts, and these parts are equivalent to
what any creature would need to stay alive and explore. NASA compares the rover to having a
human like system. The body of the
rover is very important, because it protects the vital ÒorgansÓ of the
rover. It is called the Warm
electronics box. It protects the
computer and electronics of the unit and controls the temperature of the
unit. Another interesting feature
of this rover is the Rover Equipment Deck, which is where the camera and rover
mast to sit open in the Martian air.
Another unique feature is that they rover has 10 different Òeyes,Ó or
cameras. Six of these are
engineering cameras for navigation, and the other four perform the scientific
investigations. Each of the
cameras has a specific set of optics.
The next part of the rover is the arms. These arms are very human like, they are flexible at the
shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The
arms hold all of the scientific instruments used to explore the Martian
surface. The rover is so advanced,
that it can get down and dirty with the rocks like a geologist while studying
the different rocks. Finally, the
last external body part of the rover, the legs, or in the case of the rover
wheels. It has six wheels, all
with their own motor. The two
front and back wheels allow the rover to turn in place 360 degrees. The suspension system is based on the
Òrocker-bogieÓ system on the Pathfinder and Mars exploration Rover
missions. The word Bogie comes
from a term used for old railroad systems, where the wheels could curve along
the tracks. The Rocker comes from
the system in which it balances the rover. This allows the rover to go over rocks without flipping
over, it is a way to stabilize the rover as it goes over the rugged terrain. The roverÕs top speed is a little over
1.5 inches per second. Those are
the main external body part of the rover, next we will go over the internal
systems that keep the rover running.
The most
important organ in the human body is the brain, because the brain tells and
controls all of the bodyÕs functions.
Well, it is the same with the rover, the brain is what causes the rover
to function, but in this case the brain is a computer. The brain is located inside of the body
incased in the Rover Electronics module.
The way the computer exchanges data with the rover instruments and
sensors, is via the Òbus.Ó It
allows the brain to control the motors, science instruments, and communication
functions of the rover. Another
spectacular advancement from the other rovers is the memory capability of the
rover. The rover can withstand
radiation on Mars, without damaging any of the data. The computer on board is a very advanced, powerful laptop,
which has eight times the memory capability of the previous Mars rovers. Like the human brain, this rover also
has ÒnervesÓ to stabilize the body while going over the bumpy surface of
Mars. Another exciting feature is
the self-health regulator, which checks to make sure the temperature of the
rover remains stable. Also, this
rover has an extra backup computer in case the first one fails, they thought of
everything for this mission to make sure it went off without a hitch. Finally, the communication of the rover
is pretty neat. There are two
different antennas one is a low-gain that sends and receives information in all
directions. The second antenna is
a high-gain and it sends specific information directly to Earth. The most interesting point about this antenna
is the fact that the whole rover doesnÕt have to turn to send a message,
because of the directional antenna can just turn to send a message. Those are the new advancements to the
hardware inside of the rover.
This Mars rover is clearly unique from
the other rovers sent to Mars.
There has been a lot of new technology placed in this unit, to make it
efficient and so it can complete this great exploration without any
trouble. This rover is as close to
sending a person on Mars as we can get, with the technology we have today. The new functions of the body of the
rover make it easy to complete the research NASA intends. Also, the best parts of the rover are
the internal brain, which is so new and different from the computers of the
past. It will make it easier to
collect data, more efficient, more effective, and has the capability to survive
a lot of adverse conditions it may run into on Mars.