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Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers

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The embedded computer systems onboard Mars rovers are designed to withstand high radiation levels and large temperature changes in space. For this reason their computational resources are limited compared to systems commonly used on Earth.[1]

In operation

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Direct teleoperation of a Mars rover is impractical, as the round trip communication time between Earth and Mars ranges from 8 to 42 minutes and the Deep Space Network system is only available a few times during each Martian day (sol).[1] Therefore, a rover command team plans, then sends, a sol of operational commands to the rover at one time.[1]

A rover uses autonomy software to make decisions based on observations from its sensors.[1] Each pair of stereo images for the Sojourner rover could generate 20 3D navigation points. The Mars Exploration Rovers can generate 15,000 (nominal) to 40,000 (survey mode) 3D points.[1]

Performance comparisons

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With the exception of Curiosity and Perseverance, each Mars rover has had only one on-board computer. Both Curiosity and Perseverance have two identical computers for redundancy. Curiosity is, as of February 2013, operating on its redundant computer, while its primary computer is being investigated for signs of failure.[2][needs update]

Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers
Landing
year		 Rover (mission, organization) CPUs RAM Flash EEPROM Operating system CPU time available for the autonomy software
1997 Sojourner rover (Pathfinder, NASA)[1][3][4][5] 2 MHz 8-bit Intel 80C85[6] 0.5 MB 0.172 MB None Custom cyclic executive Not applicable to Cyclic Executives
1997 Pathfinder Lander (NASA)[1]
(Base station for Sojourner rover) 		20 MHz MFC 128 MB None 6 MB VxWorks (multitasking)[7] less than 75%
2004 Spirit and Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover (MER), NASA)[1] 20 MHz 32-bit BAE RAD6000 (PowerPC) 128 MB 256 MB 3 MB VxWorks (multitasking) less than 75%
2012 Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), NASA)[1][8][9] 200 MHz 32-bit BAE RAD750 (PowerPC) 256 MB 2048 MB 0.25 MB VxWorks (multitasking) less than 75%
2021 Perseverance (Mars 2020, NASA)[10] 200 MHz 32-bit BAE RAD750 (PowerPC) 256 MB 2048 MB 0.25 MB VxWorks (multitasking)[11] ?

Mars Rovers

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  • Size comparison of the Mars Exploration Rover (rear) and the Sojourner rover
    Size comparison of the Mars Exploration Rover (rear) and the Sojourner rover
  • Mars Science Laboratory (R); Mars Exploration Rover (L) and Sojourner rover (centre)
    Mars Science Laboratory (R); Mars Exploration Rover (L) and Sojourner rover (centre)
  • Mars Exploration Rover
    Mars Exploration Rover

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Max Bajracharya, Mark W. Maimone, Daniel Helmick (2008) (Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology); Autonomy for Mars rovers: past, present, and future; published in: Computer, a journal of the IEEE Computer Society, December 2008, Volume 41, Number 12, page 45, ISSN 0018-9162.
  2. ^ "Computer Swap on Curiosity Rover". NASA/JPL. February 28, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  3. ^ "Mars Pathfinder Frequently Asked Questions: Sojourner Rover". NASA/JPL. April 10, 1997. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  4. ^ Donna L. Shirley and Jacob R. Matijevic (May 10, 1997). "Mars Rovers: Past, Present, & Future". NASA/JPL. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  5. ^ Larry Lange (February 18, 1998). "U.S. plays catch-up as robots crawl into new applications". EETimes.com. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  6. ^ Mars Pathfinder Frequently Asked Questions
  7. ^ "Wind River Powers Mars Exploration Rovers—Continues Legacy as Technology Provider for NASA's Space Exploration". Wind River. June 6, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  8. ^ "Mars Science Laboratory: Mission: Rover: Brains". NASA/JPL. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  9. ^ "BAE SYSTEMS COMPUTERS TO MANAGE DATA PROCESSING AND COMMAND FOR UPCOMING SATELLITE MISSIONS". BAE Systems. June 17, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  10. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Brains - Mars 2020 Rover". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "Prototyping an Onboard Scheduler for the Mars 2020 Rover" (PDF).
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