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Controlling Ocean One Read chapter Read first chapter

2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

Strategic Autonomy for Reducing Risk of Sun-Synchronous Lunar Polar Exploration

Authors : Nathan Otten, David Wettergreen, William Whittaker

Published in: Field and Service Robotics

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Sun-synchronous lunar polar exploration can extend solar-powered robotic missions by an order of magnitude by following routes of continuous sunlight. However, enforcing an additional constraint for continuous Earth communication while driving puts such missions at risk. This is due to the uncertainty of singularities: static points that provide weeks of continuous sunlight where communication blackouts can be endured. The uncertainty of their existence and exact location stems from the limited accuracy of lunar models and makes dwelling at singularities a high-risk proposition. This paper proposes a new mission concept called strategic autonomy, which instead permits rovers to follow preplanned, short, slow, autonomous drives without communication to gain distance from shadow and increase confidence in sustained solar power. In this way, strategic autonomy could greatly reduce overall risk for sun-synchronous lunar polar missions.

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previous chapter Informed Asymptotically Near-Optimal Planning for Field Robots with Dynamics
next chapter Towards Visual Teach and Repeat for GPS-Denied Flight of a Fixed-Wing UAV
Footnotes
1
Here, less than 10 cm/s is considered slow. (Circumnavigating the equator requires \(\sim \) 4.3 m/s.).
 
2
LRO data products are accessible via NASA’s Planetary Data System Geosciences Node [7, 16].
 
3
The Sun can be approximated as a directional or area light source. The latter yields a range of solar flux values, which can be thresholded to produce a binary output for planning purposes.
 
4
Since radio waves behave differently than visible light, this yields a slightly optimistic estimate.
 
5
To complete certain science objectives, a rover may be required to enter a PSR or other unlit area for a brief period of time; however, this extension is outside the scope of the work presented here.
 
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Metadata
Title
Strategic Autonomy for Reducing Risk of Sun-Synchronous Lunar Polar Exploration
Authors
Nathan Otten
David Wettergreen
William Whittaker
Copyright Year
2018
Book
Field and Service Robotics

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67360-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-67361-5

Copyright Year: 2018

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67361-5_30