Responsible for converting the R/C car for the rover activity and calibrating its movements. Mechanical skills in providing a reliable rover were critical.

Miriam

Niki

Marc

Justin

Alex

Responsibility: convert the R/C car for the rover activity and calibrating its movements. Our data was used by the Navigation Team.

Specialty: mechanical and measurement skills.

Limitations: The Engineering Team could not visit the site where the rover performed its mission. We did our testing in a sand-pit outside similar
to the one the rover traversed and mapped by the Mapping team.

(NASA)

Procedure: Learn the responsibilities of the other teams. We consulted with the Navigation and Lander Teams to schedule use of the rover. We modified a R/C car for the rover mission. We consulted with the Science Team to make sure the experiments fit on the rover. We mounted the experiments onto the rover and ensured all systems operated. We worked with the Navigation Team to calibrate rover movements to determine: how far forward the rover moved per second, how many degrees per second the rover turned, and how variations in terrain affect its movement.

Hints: We kept it simple. We questioned the necessity of each piece added to the rover. We made structures light and strong. We braced all structures.

The above description is a slightly modified version of the Virtual Sojourner Student Activity #1: Driving Blind by Richard Edgerton. On the Live from Earth and Mars Site from K-12 educators, NASA's Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications (IITA) Program and the University of Washington.

The Oak Grove Rover.

We modified the body between the middle wheels to stiffen it.

Calibrating the rover in the field.