Curiosity Stands Up, Begins Taking Shape Mars Science Laboratory Rover Gets Its First Test Drive by Mark Whalen

Jet AUGUST Propulsion 2010 Laboratory volume 40

number 8

Curiosity stands up, begins taking shape Mars Science Laboratory rover gets its first test drive By Mark Whalen

As a father of two young children, Dave Gruel knows all about the excite- ment of those first baby steps—the real- ization that your little one is finally ready to begin the journey of a lifetime. But it’s his baby right here on Lab— the Mars Science Laboratory rover Cu- riosity, currently undergoing assembly, test and launch operations in a JPL clean room—that’s making him feel like a proud dad these days. “Look on the floor of the spacecraft assembly facility right now and you’ll see a rover that, for the first time, actually looks like a rover,” Gruel said. “It’s got its wheels on, a high-gain antenna, and we’ll get a robotic arm pretty soon.” Technicians and engineers also re- cently mounted Curiosity’s mast, which contains two navigation cameras (nav- cams), two mast cameras (mastcams), and elements of the ChemCam laser chemistry instrument. Gruel, who manages the rover’s prepa- ratory activities as it readies for launch in fall 2011, beamed as team members guided Curiosity through some key milestones July 23. Curiosity not only stood firmly on its six wheels for the first time, but also completed a series of short two- meter test drives as well. Gruel noted that while the mechanical team has had engineering models of the rover and the mobility system driving on

the ground before, “This is the first time Dutch Slager / JPL Photo Lab

we’ve had the flight rover with electron- Technicians and engineers in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility survey Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover as it goes for its first test drive July 22. ics in it, with harnessing on it, actually sitting on the ground on its own wheels. over ramps and other obstacles,” Gruel this one test,” Gruel noted. Under scru- properly so that it will get to the surface It’s a great demonstration of all the hard said. “Just like kids go from crawling, to tiny were the test equipment that sends as intended,” Gruel said. work and effort everyone on the project their first steps while holding onto some- commands to the vehicle; avionics; Curiosity’s robotic arm is due for has put forth to this point.” thing, to then being able to run around flight software; harnessing between avi- delivery and tests in early August, and The short drive atop some aluminum on the floor and explore their surround- onics and actuators; structural support; Gruel said care must be taken to avoid matting assured that the rover’s mobility ings—we’re doing the same thing.” telecommunications; and the thermal contamination. system worked as expected and that any Indeed, assuring the rover can ul- design, so the vehicle doesn’t overheat. “We won’t test it by taking samples,” interference issues between the wheels timately drive over the rocky Martian Curiosity underwent a system test in he said. “We want to keep the arm can be addressed sooner rather than landscape to explore the Red Planet late July that simulated the mission’s really pristine so when it gets to Mars later. represents the project’s bottom line, but launch and cruise to Mars. “We’re the instruments are actually analyzing “This fall, as we continue to get more the July 23 driving demonstration served also running tests that will simulate Mars and not contamination from Earth. confidence in the system and the soft- numerous other key purposes as well. the vehicle going through the Martian We will extend the arm so it’s close to ware becomes more mature, we’ll do “Every subsystem we have on this atmosphere and make sure all the touching things, reaching different ori- some more aggressive drives by going vehicle is exercised to some extent by sensors and algorithms are responding Continued on page 2 Universe 2 forthe moon internsshooting pioneerspurs Help fromspace from a NASA pioneer and legend. and pioneer NASA froma help recentlyreceivedsome mission proposedmoon onboarda included be could that payloads considering is that body. planetary fromanother samples turn NASA’sroboticallyreto - mission first be would MoonRise development, for selected FrontiersProgram.If New NASA’sunder competition currentlyin aboardMoonRise, flight consideredfor be would projectthat collaboration student a for ideas brainstorming been which JPL manages. JPL which mission, Grail, Laboratory,or Interior and Recovery Gravity upcoming the for outreachlead public and education the currentlyastronautand female first NASA’sRide, Sally to advice for went they engagement, public to came it When vehicles. launch and payloads to design spacecraft and objectives ence fromsci- missions, JPL of aspects all future landing sites. futurelanding about learning also featureswhile lunar study to Grail by back sent ages im- use will Students exploration. lunar in country acrossthe schools middle engage Grail’sto on satellites two cameras use will that initiative tional closely with Ride on the formulation of formulation the on Ride with closely worked Grail, and MoonRise both for December. and November in follow to scheduled hundredareseveral another analyzed; arecases test 200 October,about throughcontinues that period testing currentthe During remotescience. and sampling surface general, surface entry/descent/landing, cruise, launch, phases: mission all covers testing ous functionality, and complicated science complicated functionality,and redundancy,of of lots lots with hicle, MSL understands how it operates.” it how understands fully team the and it’sdo to supposed what does sureit making entations, A group of summer students at JPL at students summer groupof A Since mid-June the group of 15 has 15 groupof the mid-June Since The group has been learning about learning been grouphas The Ride is leading MoonKam, an educa- an MoonKam, leading is Ride JPL’scapturelead Alkalai, Leon “This is an incredibly capable ve- incrediblycapable an is “This Overall, Mars Science Lab’sScience Mars rigor Overall,

Continued from page 1 page from Continued ByMark Whalen

too.” morecomplicated the algorithms—all protection,the fault software,the the system— the makes complexity that “All said. before,”Gruel Mars of surface the on put we’ve anything unlike instruments trial partner Lockheed. partner trial indus- currentlyat is shield heat flight the mission’sand the timeline; original requiredon its work of receivedmuch previouslybackshell the launch; safe a assureto test vibration random a pleted com - recentlysuccessfully stage descent the completed; almost been has stage project’sthe of assembly cruise The rover.the on be team’swill focus main lai said. “And of course, she agreed.”she course, of “And said. lai Alka- projectideas,” collaboration student and E/PO on us advise also and students MoonRise the with meet would she if her asked and Sally called “I MoonKams. ing projectus- collaboration student and plan outreachpublic and education Grail the outreach is fantastic.” outreachis greatthis do to she’sfame that her using fact the think I So success. of example it’san engineering, have reallygreatto or science into going not girls about hear MIT.you at “Whenever senior a DeLatte, Danielle said it,” reallyloved I grade. 6th Sally’sattended conferencein I science after science study inspiredto being out anybody stand in their way.”their in stand anybody let didn’t and goals their accomplished has who someone meet to me for tional inspira- was it difficulties, of kind same throughthe go to surehad I’m who Ride, Sally meet to just “But that.’ do to going ‘Yeah,knew; I you’re never everyone and friends my by of fun made was I school throughhigh astronaut.“All an becoming of thoughts including science, careerin a wanted she that grade 8th in decided same school that employs MoonRise prin- MoonRise employs that school same Louis—the St. Washingtonin at University KevinChou, David Austerberry, Charles Galey, Fernando Saca, Natalie Accardo, Leon Alkalai, Mitch FrontMuller, row, from Daniel left: Alkalai, Nate Butler, Jeremy Klein. Kourosh Rahnamai, Laurence Bodek, Payam Banazadeh, Sally Ride, Alessandra Babuscia, Ryan Clegg, Danielle DeLatte, Mary Knapp. Back row, from left: Ethan Sox, Gruel noted that from here on out the out fromhereon that noted Gruel “It was really cool because I started I because reallycool was “It Ryan Clegg, a graduate of Florida Tech,Florida of graduate a Clegg, Ryan Clegg, who will attend graduate school graduate attend will who Clegg, that we will be able to complete the complete to able be will we that now,extremelyconfident we’reright all But issues. shareof its morethan had projecthas this realizesthat “Everyone said. Curiosity,”Gruel with have we time of amount the we’reoptimizing and ful, cold. and heat pyroshock, vibration, for checking clude in- will spring next environmentaltesting roverthat noting said, he delayed,” was launch the when out laid we milestones schedule the hitting to prettyclose we’recoming but us, of ahead lenges cautioned. Gruel fast, very goes time May.But next Center Space Kennedy rather than trying to build an entirespace- an build to trying than rather instrument an build to them for easier subsystems.” spacecraft all consider to have you it designing processof the in MoonRise, to instrument small one adding up end you if “Even KouroshRahnamai. mentor faculty JPL added discipline,” their said. Schratz goals,” its and mission the of science the affects ultimately do they everything engineer an as how of cognizant be to need “They picture.big the about think to learned also groupfeasibility,has the and nology tech- available mass, cost, as such factors individual considering While said. Schratz identify,”to goals specific with up came and general in community science the to Group.tions Opera- and Systems Communications the of Schratz Brian mentor JPL said faceted, multi- been has throughmid-August, runs reallyexcited.” got I moon, the that’smission to a going on work actually to opportunity this heardabout I when “so said, she soil,” lunar studied had there.“I internships two served has and Center Space fromKennedy hour an about college Jolliff—attended Brad investigator cipal “It’s imperative that MSL is success- is “It’sMSL that imperative chal- some “Therearecertainly to shipped be will Lab Science Mars That said, Schratz acknowledged, “It’sacknowledged, Schratz said, That beyond go to “It’sthem for important valuable is what debated they “First program,which summer the of goal The visit hardfor.”so you’reworking what is this about, all it’swhat is hardwork—this their all on reflectand back step to moment a take should they everybody,and for ment another.It’sor accomplish- way big a one day,in this to projectcontributed the on people 750-plus “All added. he point,” this to us get to job her or his doing everybody took Curiosity,it of window.launch 2011 November our hit to team vehicle launch the to it deliver and schedule on vehicle flight this of test and assembly successfulandgoon,” Rahnamai said. be to us there’sfor hoping chance good a year.mid-next expected is Explorerspacecraft, Regolith Security pretationResourceIdentification Inter Spectral Origins the manage—and also Venus—whichwould to JPL sion Explorermis- AtmosphereGeochemical and Surface the MoonRise, among posal together.”put actually is spacecraft a how of perspective the them gives universities their to back going also future,but the of employees JPL as just better,not them groomsthat hopefully “So noted. Schratz researcha lab,” in widget a on worked who’ssay,someone than, more able much and faster much groundrunning the hit to areable they JPL, environmentlike an in realworld, the to come this like well. monitoredas be could impacts moon, the of side dark the On MoonKam. to similar moon the of side bright the over imagery take to satellite communications the on cameras of array an place would idea second the surface; lunar the on radiation measurethe would emerged.have Twopossibilities craft.” For more information on the mission, the on moreinformation For size sheer fromthe tell can you “As “If the MoonRise proposal wins, we’reproposalwins, MoonRise the “If FrontiersproNew - the on decision A throughprogramsgo who people “When and craft landing the on go would One http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov. - Disability inspired his vision 3 Device built to aid note-taking wins worldwide competition By Mark Whalen niverse U Three years ago, Arizona State University student David Hayden decided to add a math degree to the computer science degree he was already working on. But the frenetic pace of note-taking in senior-level coursework proved frustrating. Hayden, born with a condition in which his optic nerves never fully developed, is legally blind, and has trouble keeping up with note-taking. Hayden, working this summer in the Artificial Intel- ligence Group under the JPL Education Office–sponsored Minority Initiatives Internship Program, had used assistive technologies in the classroom with limited success to that point. But he couldn’t wait for the state of the art to catch up to his needs, so he decided to do something about it himself. The result, a device he built called the Note-Taker, has not only helped him in class but has earned him and his team members a major prize in the recent Microsoft- sponsored Imagine Cup, an international technology innovation competition held this year in Warsaw, Poland, that included about 300,000 student entrants from more than 100 countries. The competition was stiff in the Hayden team’s category, touch and tablet accessibility—50 teams from around the world had entered. Teams were called upon to use touch and tablet technologies to improve access to edu- Above: JPL’s David Hayden (left) and cation, which proved a natural for Hayden’s team. teammate Andrew Kelley (right) are “It was as if the challenge was created just for our awarded first place at the Microscoft project,” Hayden said. “The reason the tablet PC was so Imagine Cup finals in Warsaw, important to our device is that handwritten notes are Poland. critical for STEM classes; what happens when you run into figures, diagrams or math notation?” Left: David Hayden uses a proto- After an initial down-select to 10 and then finally two type of the Note-Taker. in the Warsaw final, Hayden and Arizona State teammate Andrew Kelley took home first place. The six team members garnered a prize of $8,000 and tablet computers. “The basic problem the Note-Taker solves is that, unlike Hayden said a second-generation prototype is now be- Hayden, who plans on beginning a Ph.D. program in existing assistive technologies, it’s portable, requires no ing lab-tested. A third generation, which he said is much computer science in fall 2011, is interested in develop- lecture adaptation or building infrastructure, and there’s closer to a marketable product, will be completed this ing devices that will help many more than those with no delay when transitioning between taking your notes fall. “We’re going to distribute the third-generation pro- low vision. Ultimately, he sees his research bringing and viewing the board,” Hayden said. “Both are on the totype to a dozen low-vision or legally blind students for computers on or in the body to assist human percep- same screen. This allows low-vision students to keep up an extended user study,” he said. “Based on the results, tion, cognition and mobility; i.e., wearable computers with note-taking compared with their sighted peers.” we’ll design a fourth-generation device that would be or prosthetics. “I’m particularly interested in the ap- The Note-Taker sits flat on a desk. On one half of the ready for manufacturing.” plications of machine learning and computer vision to screen is a digital note pad, where users enter handwrit- This is Hayden’s third summer working in JPL’s Arti- those types of technologies,” he said. ten notes; on the other half is live, streaming video from ficial Intelligence Group, where he studies how to au- For example, the Note-Taker allows users to text- a camera that points at a target such as a chalkboard. In tonomously sort remotely-sensed imagery according to search and select their handwritten and typed notes. the video window the user can “drag” the live picture and specific science objectives. Selected notes can then cue audio or video that was the motors on the camera will pan and tilt to readjust its “In many cases, spacecraft can collect far more data being recorded at the time the notes were being taken. position. than could be sent back for human observation,” he said, “Once we get that into a nice user interface, and slim The device’s first-generation prototype was an amal- “So, how do we run programs onboard that can pre- down the camera peripheral, the Note-Taker will be- gamation of commercial, off-the-shelf technology but select data according to autonomous measures of their come more attractive for fully-sighted students.” showed enough promise that Hayden received some seed scientific value?” “It’s nice if you can design technology to help a funding from the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Comput- Does Hayden see this type of work in his future? small portion of the population, but it’s even better ing, where he had been volunteering. The team is cur- “Absolutely,” he said. “Machine learning is the fundamen- when you can generalize it so that it can help everyone. rently working in the second of a two-year grant from the tal domain I’m interested in. There’s a little bit of that The ideal of that would be: Can normal human vision National Science Foundation. type of work in Note-Taker—it’s using computer vision; ever be enhanced beyond its current state? It’s not clear the work I’m doing with Steve Chien and David Thompson that it’s possible, but it’s something I’m interested in is as much computer vision as machine learning.” considering.” Universe 4 Pasadena, CA 91109. CA Pasadena, Drive, Grove Oak 4800 Laboratory, Propulsion Jet the of Education and Communications of Office the by published is Universe READ AND SUBMIT CLASSIFIED ADS ADS CLASSIFIED SUBMIT AND READ AT JPL’ AT universe@jpl.nasa.gov s AudreySteffan JPL Photo Lab Photo JPL Photography DavidHinkle Production Design Whalen Mark Editor o B N nline http://jplspace - E

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