THE ROLE OF TERRAIN MODELING IN LUNAR ROVER SIMULATION

This paper presents work being performed by Boeing on the next generation of lunar rovers as part of the Space Exploration Initiative(SEI). The current work has emphasized development of a lunar rover simulator. Such a simulator will be used for design and analysis of rover mobility system concepts and derivation of requirements for vehicle design and performance. The quality of rover design depends on the fidelity of the models that comprise the simulation tools. One of these models is a lunar terrain model that was developed in the course of work on the rover simulator. This model is the first step in the development of the rover mobility system simulation, for the design of the mobility system, which includes the drive, steering, and suspension systems. Mathematically modeling the interaction between the terrain and vehicle requires sound models of the terrain and the vehicle. This paper discusses the role of the lunar terrain model in rover simulation as part of the rover vehicle design process.