Computer Simulation of Mars Perseverance Rover’s First Autonav Drive

This computer animation shows a replay of telemetry from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover as it carried out its first drive using AutoNav, it’s auto-navigation feature, which allows it to avoid rocks and other hazards without input from engineers back on Earth. The rover’s progress here has been sped up by 50 times. The entire drive was roughly 102 feet (31 meters) and took 45 minutes. The terrain is created from height maps, which is how the rover navigates surrounding terrain. The map is created incrementally from stereo imagery taken from the rover’s navigation cameras. Auto-navigation software uses a height map to evaluate possible drive paths for safety. The paths are represented by arcs emanating from the front of the rover. Different-colored arcs denote different results of the hazard evaluation. - Blue arcs represent arcs that failed due to “wheel drop,” where the terrain could allow for a wheel to f