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The Spirit and Opportunity rovers are
still operating
on the surface of Mars. Each rover has a highly specialized arm, or
Instrument Deployment Device (IDD), used to analyze rocks and soil. The IDDs are an amazing compromise between high-level
functionality and the low-mass requirement dictated by a planetary lander. However, the IDDs must be handled with caution while they're being attached to the rovers here on Earth.
To protect the IDD during handling and attachment, I designed a rigid temporary backbone which was eight times stiffer than the IDD and locked onto the most rugged features, the launch restraints. The locations of those restraints had a one centimeter range in all directions, so my carrier used a 6 D.O.F. series of sliding, rotating clamps with twice that range of motion to acquire the IDD.
Details:
-Welded aluminum frame.
-All components cabled to the main weldment so they could not fall off.
-All edges radiused to .05" for safety.
-Welded cradle supplied for storage with or without the IDD.
Result: Fully documented with test and usage procedures, these carriers were a small part of the successful 2003-2004 JPL MER mission.
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