by Aero !JUN 0 5 1992

128 Pages·2008·7.05 MB·English

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING FOR A MARS MICRO-ROVER
by
Steven Yellin Schondorf
S. B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1988)
SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREES OF
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
and
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY AND POLICY
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
June, 1992
Copyright © Steven Y. Schondorf, 1992. All rights reserved.
Signature of Author
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
May 7, 1992
Approved by
Dr. David S. Kang
Technical Supervisor
Certified by
Joseph F. Shea
SProfessor
Thesis Supervisor
P srHrldW--c
Accepted by
(cid:127)/ Profesqor Harold Y. Wlachman
,/ Chairman, Department Graduate Committee
Accepted by
Professor Richard de Neufville
Chairman, Technology and Policy Program
Aero
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
!JUN 0 5 1992

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING FOR A MARS MICRO-ROVER
by
STEVEN YELLIN SCHONDORF
Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
on May 8, 1992 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degrees of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics
and Master of Science in Technology and Policy
ABSTRACT
A student-run project was initiated to design, build, and launch hardware on
a future mission to Mars. A five kilogram, imaging micro-rover was chosen
as the project most likely to be launched in support of NASA's Space
Exploration Initiative. This thesis focused on the systems engineering aspects
of the project.
The mass constraint severely constrained the available power. The mass and
power constraints drove the rest of the design. The rover's mission was
defined to be 30 days long. The rover was required to traverse 100 meters per
day based on commands transmitted from Earth. The rover was also required
to transmit 2 pictures per day from the surface of Mars back to Earth. The
system was partitioned into 8 subsystems. The mass and power budgets were
allocated among the subsystems based on the design of a phase one prototype.
Tradeoff studies led to the selection of primary batteries for the power system,
and an orbiting link for the communications system. The other subsystems
were specified to the greatest detail possible.
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. David S. Kang
Technical Staff, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Joseph F. Shea
Adjunct Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT

"We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be
to arrive where we started and know the
place for the first time."
T. S. Eliot

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My deepest thanks go to my thesis advisors, Joseph F. Shea and David S.
Kang. They made my thesis experience worth having, and added untold
details to my education.
My gratitude goes to the NASA Space Grant Program, Hughes Aircraft
Company, and The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. They provided generous
financial support for my education and the micro-rover project.
I would like to thank the entire team of students who worked with me on the
micro-rover project: John Gilbert - Structures and Maneuvering, Bill
Kaliardos - Guidance and Navigation, Calvin Ma - Dynamics and Simulation,
Eric Malafeew - Control, Stefan Feldgoise - Electronics, Rob Kim - Mechanics,
Stuart Schaefer - Processing, Kimball Thurston - Animation, Larry Kaye -
Animation, and Brenda Kraft - Image Processing. Without them, this thesis
would be just another paper study.
I would also like to thank Mike Fleri, for going through it with me, sharing
the good times and the bad.
A lifetime's worth of gratitude to my parents and family, who's
encouragement and love got me to where I am today.
Finally, a special thanks to Kristin, my proof-reader and friend, who was
always there when I needed her.
This thesis was supported by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
Publication of this thesis does not constitute approval by The Charles Stark
Draper Laboratory, Inc. of the findings or conclusions contained herein. It is
published for the exchange and stimulation of ideas.
I hereby assign my copyright of this thesis to The Charles Stark Draper
Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Steven Y. Schondorf
Permission is hereby granted by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. to
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to reproduce and or all of this
thesis.