Abstract
1 Blind field tests of the Field Integration Design and Operations
(FIDO) prototype Mars rover were carried out 7-16 May 2000. A Core
Operations Team (COT), sequestered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
without knowledge of test site location, prepared command sequences
and interpreted data acquired by the rover. Instrument sensors included
a stereo panoramic camera, navigational and hazard-avoidance cameras,
a color microscopic imager, an infrared point spectrometer, and a
rock coring drill. The COT designed command sequences, which were
relayed by satellite uplink to the rover, and evaluated instrument
data. Using aerial photos and Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging
Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data, and information from the rover sensors,
the COT inferred the geology of the landing site during the 18 sol
mission, including lithologic diversity, stratigraphic relationships,
environments of deposition, and weathering characteristics. Prominent
lithologic units were interpreted to be dolomite-bearing rocks, kaolinite-bearing
altered felsic volcanic materials, and basalt. The color panoramic
camera revealed sedimentary layering and rock textures, and geologic
relationships seen in rock exposures. The infrared point spectrometer
permitted identification of prominent carbonate and kaolinite spectral
features and permitted correlations to outcrops that could not be
reached by the rover. The color microscopic imager revealed fine-scale
rock textures, soil components, and results of coring experiments.
Test results show that close-up interrogation of rocks is essential
to investigations of geologic environments and that observations
must include scales ranging from individual boulders and outcrops
(microscopic, macroscopic) to orbital remote sensing, with sufficient
intermediate steps (descent images) to connect in situ and remote
observations.
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