Unmanned Systems Technology 028 | ecoSUB Robotics AUVs I ECUs focus I Space vehicles insight I AMZ Driverless gotthard I InterDrone 2019 report I ATI WAM 167-BB I Video systems focus I Aerdron HL4 Herculift

53 Unmanned space vehicles | Insight (Navcams), six hazard cameras (Hazcams), a remote micro-imager (SuperCam) and two multi-spectral imaging sensors (MastCam-Zs). The NavCams and MastCams are mounted on a mast above the centre of the rover. The latter will take 2 MP multi-spectral images and 3D imagery by algorithmically stitching together the feeds from each MastCam to identify rocks and regolith worth sampling. Each MastCam weighs about 4 kg and consumes 17.4 W. The Hazcams act as FPV sensors to prevent the rover colliding with rocks or other obstacles, as well as providing directional imagery to keep the vehicle from losing its track as the mast circles around. The SuperCam will assist further in the mission, by using a laser to clear away surface dust and thus more easily identify the chemical composition of rocks and soils, including their atomic and molecular make-up. That system weighs 5.6 kg and typically consumes 17.9 W. The samples of rocks and regolith collected will be used to analyse the geological processes and potentially the past habitability of Mars. The rover will also carry the Mars Helicopter Scout, a 1.8 kg solar-powered helicopter UAV that will help find the best routes for the rover, as well as trial the feasibility of flight on Mars. Meanwhile, the ESA’s ExoMars rover (now named the Rosalind Franklin rover) has been completed. Current plans are for it to be launched at about the same time as the Mars 2020 rover next July, using a launch vehicle from Roscosmos, an ESA-developed carrier module and a Russian lander module. The Rosalind Franklin weighs about 300 kg and carries a 1.14 kWh lithium-ion battery, which will be recharged during operations by a 1.2 kW solar array. As maintaining a consistent data link with the rover is unfeasible, it has been designed with autonomous navigation capabilities. Two pairs of stereo cameras– its NavCam systems atop its mast, and LocCams at the mast’s base – will be used to build a 3D map of the surrounding terrain. The map will then be assessed by the rover’s navigation software to plan routes to destinations specified by the ground controller while avoiding obstacles, with dead reckoning provided by an integrated three-axis accelerometer and gyroscope. Like the Mars 2020 rover, the Rosalind Franklin has a drill for sampling soils and rocks, as well as an array of scientific payloads for studying signs of past habitability – particularly of the morphological and chemical varieties. These sensors include an IR spectrometer for characterising bulk minerals and identifying water-related minerals, and a neutron spectrometer for finding subsurface water ice and hydrated minerals. A ground- penetrating radar will also help the latter spectrometer to look directly beneath the rover for ideal drilling and sampling sites. Another infrared spectrometer, inside the core drill, will observe the walls of the boreholes the drill produces, to analyse the subsurface stratigraphy as well as the distribution and condition of water- related minerals. The combined material analyses from the various sensors will then be used to interpret the original conditions in which the Martian rock formed. Conclusion These programmes show how essential unmanned vehicles are becoming to planting the seeds of industry and human habitation beyond our planet, and for withstanding hazards to keep astronauts from harm’s way. With that in mind, space could soon become the biggest growth market for autonomous solutions. Unmanned Systems Technology | October/November 2019 Three sets of cameras on the Mars 2020 rover were calibrated using a grid of white dots on a black background (Courtesy of NASA and JPL-Caltech)