Nomad Rover Field Experiment, Atacama Desert, Chile 1. Science results overview

Nomad was deployed for a 45 day traverse in the Atacama Desert, Chile, duri ng the summer of 1997. During this traverse, I week was devoted to science experiments. The goal of the science experiments was to test different plan etary surface exploration strategies that included(l) a Mars mission simula tion, (2) a science on the fly experiment, where the rover was kept moving 75% of the operation time. (The goal of this operation was to determine whe ther or not successful interpretation of the environment is related to the time spent on a target. The role of mobility in helping the interpretation was also assessed.) (3) a meteorite search using visual and instrumental me thods to remotely identify meteorites in extreme environments, and (4) a ti me-delay experiment with and without using the panospheric camera. The resu lts were as follow: the remote science team positively identified the main characteristics of the test site geological environment. The science on the fly experiment showed that the selection of appropriate targets might be e ven more critical than the time spent on a study area to reconstruct the hi story of a site. During the same operation the science team members identif ied and sampled a rock from a Jurassic outcrop that they proposed to be a f ossil. The presence of paleolife indicators in this rock was confirmed late r by laboratory analysis. Both visual and instrumental modes demonstrated t he feasibility, in at least some conditions, of carrying out a field search for meteorites by using remote-controlled vehicles. Finally, metrics colle cted from the observation of the science team operations, and the use team members made of mission data, provided critical information on what operati on sequences could be automated on board revers in future planetary surface explorations.