Peservance's mobility system - Summary draft 2

According to NASA’s webpage on rover wheels, the mobility system of the Perseverance rover stands out among Martian vehicles. The rover can travel at speeds of 4.2cm per second and consumes less than 200 watts. The mobility system consists of the driving, suspension, and navigational systems. The driving system consists of six wheels fitted with brushless DC motors, accompanied by extra steering motors in the front and rear legs (NASA, 2019). These wheels, measuring 52.5 cm in diameter, are crafted from an aluminum alloy with titanium spokes. The wheels have individually modified “EC 32 flat drive” motors (Maxon, 2020) and retrofitted cleats to enhance traction. The legs are constructed from titanium tubing, enabling the rover to traverse uneven Martian terrain and overcome obstacles surpassing 40 cm in height (NASA, n.d). The suspension system, identified as the "rocker-bogie" system, is composed of three interconnected components: the differential, rocker, and bogie. These elements collaborate to receive 3-axis position information from the internal measurement unit (IMU) and efficiently distribute the rover's weight across its six wheels. This intricately designed system minimizes tilt during traversal over uneven Martian terrain, thereby enhancing the rover's overall stability (NASA, n.d). The navigational system consists of 2 navigation cameras (Navcams) and 6 hazard avoidance cameras (HazCams). The Navcams are located on the rover's mast and is primarily used to navigate the rover safely, while the HazCams are located at the front and rear of the rover's body, detecting hazards and obstacles as the rover moves (NASA, n.d). These cameras work together with the rover's 2 central processors to process and analyze images as the rover transverses along the rocky Martian terrain, avoiding hazards and obstacles as it moves. Compared to the previous Martian rovers, the Perseverance rover’s mobility system exhibits remarkable improvements in speed, energy efficiency and rate of ground covered, possibly enhancing the ability of the rover to explore the geography of the area.  

References

Maxon. (2020, July 7). maxon DC motors are heading to Mars onboard NASA's Perseverance rover. https://www.maxongroup.net.au/medias/sys_master/root/8843051204638/maxon-DC-motors-are-heading-to-Mars-onboard-NASA-s-Perseverance-rover.pdf

NASA. (2022, April 8). How Perseverance Drives on Mars https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/26660/how-perseverance-drives-on-mars/

NASA. (n.d.). Wheels. https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/spacecraft/rover/wheels/ 

NASA. (n.d.). Rover Wheels. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/wheels/ 

NASA. (n.d.). Rover Brains. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/brains/ 

NASA. (n.d.). The Rover’s wheels. https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/rover/wheels-and-legs/