Figure 3 K9 Rover at a field trial
The goal of the K9 project at the NASA Ames Research Center was to integrate and demonstrate new robotic technologies to enable NASA to meet the science goals of future Mars missions. NASA Ames scientists accomplish this by developing a robust, mission-relevant rover platform, integrating component autonomy technologies, and testing these in field experiments in Mars-analog terrains and in the Ames outdoor test area, called the Marscape. K9 rover is a 6-wheeled chassis with a passive suspension system that allows the rover to conform to the shape of the ground. K9 is outfitted with electronics and instruments appropriate for supporting research relevant to remote science exploration and autonomous operations. K9’s chassis and solar panels were built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA. Its avionics, instrumentation, and autonomy software were developed at Ames Research Center (ARC). The on-board rover software architecture was a joint effort between JPL and ARC.