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Prepping for Mars! Rover Field Tests
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
When the two Mars Exploration Rovers arrive at the red planet in
January 2004, mission scientists will rely on them to make discoveries.
To prepare for intense operations during the mission, NASA's scientists
and engineers work with a rover here on Earth called FIDO. Field tests
with FIDO allow the team to formulate hypotheses about the geologic
environment and use the rover to test them. The August 2002 tests went
really well. The science team met their mission success criteria, which
included going to at least two different locations (other than the
landing site) and making extensive measurements, driving 200 meters
(656 feet), and digging a soil trench with one of the rover's wheels...
