Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rice!bbc From: bbc@rice.edu (Benjamin Chase) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Micro rovers vs. Stompers Message-ID: Date: 5 Jul 90 04:05:28 GMT References: <9792@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <25610@unix.cis.pitt.edu> <138360@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> Sender: root@rice.edu Reply-To: Benjamin Chase Distribution: na Organization: Center for Research on Parallel Computations Lines: 21 In-reply-to: cmcmanis@stpeter.Eng.Sun.COM's message of 4 Jul 90 05:42:35 GMT cmcmanis@stpeter.Eng.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) writes: > [Can the problem of martian rovers be helped by postulating a > orbiting powersat, which could beam (eg.) microwaves down to a rover?] There are lots more useful things such a satellite can do than that. It is more helpful for the satellite to act as a powerful communication link to earth. Put large antennas, good amplifiers and ample power onto a geostationary satellite, and then you can make do with simpler, low-power gear on the land equipment. Heck, you could even have the satellite do store-and-forward for the large amounts of data (eg pictures) returned by the rovers. That is, put a good chunk of data (ie. not program) storage space on the satellite, too, so that you don't need as much (any?) in the rovers. So, can these small cat-like rovers get back on their feet after a fall or stumble? I'm hoping it looks sort of like a cockroach in similar distress, perhaps more capable, but I suppose that's too much to expect. :-) -- Ben Chase , Rice University, Houston, Texas