Could a spherical, wind-driven rover be prowling the Mars surface in the future? Such a spacecraft is being looked at courtesy of a computer model project at North Carolina State University that lets engineers design all manner of space vehicle designs.


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The so-called tumbleweed rover is getting a lot of attention as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Langley Research Center have also looked at the design, which would feature a spherical wind-driven rover designed to explore the geology of the Martian surface. According to researchers, rovers that could roll over the surface of Mars like a tumbleweed, quickly covering vast distances- have been discussed for more than 10 years, but so far there has been no consensus on exactly what that vehicle should look like. The computer model developed at NC State could change that by determining how tumbleweed rover designs will function, based on their various design characteristics. For example, the model can show how a rover's diameter, elasticity and overall mass will affect its ability to navigate the Martian surface successfully. According to NC State researchers, its new program will create dynamic models that show how an individual rover could traverse flat terrain, a channel and a crater. The simulations show that the rover's motion is dependent on the terrain type and initial and atmospheric conditions, the university said. "The results confirm that the wind force both pushes and hinders the rover's motion while sliding, rolling, and bouncing. The rover periodically transitions between these modes of movement when contact is initiated against sloped portions of terrain. Combinations of rolling and bouncing may be a more effective means of transport for a rover traveling through a channel when compared to rolling alone, " NC State researchers said in a report published in the June issue of Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Source: Could a roly-poly, wind-powered rover soon zip across Mars?

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