Mobility Sub-System for the Exploration Technology Rover

A new six-wheeled robotic roving vehicle was developed for NASA's Exploration Technology (ET) program. The rover which is called the Field, Integrated, Design, and Operations (FIDO) rover is being used for advanced technology development. In addition, copies of FIDO's Mobility Sub-System (MSS) are being used for software development in several NASA projects, including the prototype for the flight Athena Rover of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) 2003 mission. The focus of this paper is the work done on the MSS, specifically the development and test of the wheel drive actuators, which are fundamental to vehicle mobility.