A Study on the Autonomous Navigation of Rovers for Mars Surface Exploration

In the planetary surface exploration , micro-rovers or nano-rovers are very attractive choices for a surface exploration system providing mobility functions and other features required in the surface probe missions at small mass and relatively small cost. This paper surveys and summarizes the requirements for Mars exploration rovers in micro or nano scale and outlines the control concepts for navigation including the obstacle/hazard avoidance and the path planning. In this context, autonomous reaction capabilities are the key elements to control design in conjunction with the remote control schemes to deal with the significant signal propagation delays. Other navigation and control aspects such as the instrument fine positioning and the flip-over of the rovers are also briefly introduced. The current technical limitations of the micro- and nano-rovers are summarized.