MULTI-PARAMETER ROVER WHEEL AND GROUSER OPTIMIZATION FOR DEPLOYMENT IN PHOBOS MILLI-G ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

This paper investigates wheeled locomotion in milli-g environments and specifically the wheeled locomotion of a small rover which is supposed to be deployed on Phobos as part of the Martian Moons eXploration mis-sion. Several wheel geometry parameters and driving scenarios are considered and are simulated using a Discrete Element Method tool. As a result, design guidelines for wheeled locomotion in milli-g environ-ments are developed and the differences between lo-comotion in low gravity and high gravity environ-ments are highlighted. Furthermore, an optimized wheel geometry for use on Phobos is presented.