US EditionUW Researchers Find Flaw that's Been Causing Space Rovers to Get Stuck
UW-Madison engineers found that current rover tests overlook how weaker lunar and Martian gravity affects soil support, causing inaccurate mobility predictions, says Prof. Dan Negrut.
- Using computer simulations, University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineers found a flaw in Earth-based rover testing, published earlier this year in the Journal of Field Robotics to reduce rover immobilizations.
- Researchers found that on the moon gravity is six times weaker, creating a fluffier lunar surface with less traction, while Earth's stronger gravity makes desert testing sand more rigid and supportive but scale prototypes fail to replicate this.
- They used Project Chrono to model vehicle–terrain interactions, noting that NASA, the European Space Agency, and the U.S. Army already utilize this open-source physics engine developed with Italian collaborators.
- Implications extend to VIPER simulations and Moon RACER prototypes as UW-Madison researchers hope to reduce rover immobilizations and influence Artemis mission vehicle choices.
- Researchers argue that standard gravitational-offset testing methods yield overly optimistic mobility estimates, so Project Chrono recommends adjusting vehicle mass and granular terrain mass for fairer comparisons.
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Scientists solve mystery of why rovers keep getting stuck on the moon
It is now hoped that better pre-mission terrain testing on Earth could help avert future problems.
·Missoula, United States
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UW researchers find flaw that's been causing space rovers to get stuck
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently discovered a flaw in how NASA and other space agencies design and test rovers for exploring the moon and beyond.For decades, engineers have tested rovers through a method called gravitational offset, in which a rover is made lighter, either by removing weight or attaching a crane or helium balloons, to account for earths gravitational pull.Basically, what you try to do is reproduce on E…
·Milwaukee, United States
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R 33%
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