As small celestial body exploration advances, higher requirements with regard to system
safety and landing precision are proposed for future landing and sample return missions …

Increasing the level of spacecraft autonomy is essential for broadening the reach of solar
system exploration. Computer vision has and will continue to play an important role in …

It is often necessary to identify a pattern of observed craters in a single image of the lunar
surface and without any prior knowledge of the camera's location. This so-called “lost-in …

In this paper we describe an extended Kalman filter algorithm for estimating the pose and
velocity of a spacecraft during entry, descent, and landing. The proposed estimator …

This paper discusses the basics of design for testability. A short review of testing is given
along with some reasons why one should test. The different techniques of design for …

NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers have set the standard for autonomous robotic exploration
of planetary surfaces. Their abilities to detect and avoid geometric hazards, and measure …

Spirit is one of two rovers that landed on Mars in January 2004 as part of NASA's Mars
Exploration Rover mission. As of July 2005, Spirit has traveled over 4.5 kilometers across …

Many of NASA's planned missions for the coming decade will require a pinpoint landing
(PPL) capability, whether for sample acquisition and return or for precise insertion into …

Abstract In January, 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission landed two rovers,
Spirit and Opportunity, on the surface of Mars. Several autonomous navigation capabilities …

Image-based terrain relative navigation is expected to play an important role in the safe
operation of upcoming lunar exploration missions. This work provides a detailed treatment of …