Mobile Micro-Robots for scientific instrument deployment on planets

Abstract

As a part of various research and development activities in the area of mobile planetary robots small vehicles with masses of the order of 10 kg or less are currently receiving high attention. In the frame of future solar system exploratory missions the European Space Agency (ESA) has identified the need to extend the range of scientific measurements from the immediate vicinity of static landing stations to a wider radius of a few tens of meters. The present paper highlights the ongoing development of mobile Micro-Robots for scientific instrument deployment within the framework of ESA's Technological Research and Development Program. The purpose of such Micro-Robots is to deploy instruments or instrument sensor heads, acting as an “extended robotic arm” rather than covering large distances on various types of terrain, while maximizing the mass allocation for scientific equipment. Even with this limited mobility it becomes possible to expand the investigated area by several orders of magnitude compared to the capabilities of a purely lander-mounted payload. The vehicle requirements call for a simple, robust device with low mass and low power consumption. Application for such vehicles could be future ESA missions to Mars, the Moon or other solar system objects as well as potential international missions.