Synthetic intelligence helps scientists to determine minerals inside rocks studied by the Perseverance rover.
Some scientists dream of exploring planets with “sensible” spacecraft that know precisely what knowledge to search for, the place to search out it, and analyze it. Though making that dream a actuality will take time, advances made with NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover provide promising steps in that course.
For nearly three years, the rover mission has been testing a type of synthetic intelligence that seeks out minerals within the Crimson Planet’s rocks. This marks the primary time AI has been used on Mars to make autonomous choices primarily based on real-time evaluation of rock composition.
The software program helps PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry), a spectrometer developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. By mapping the chemical composition of minerals throughout a rock’s floor, PIXL permits scientists to find out whether or not the rock fashioned in situations that might have been supportive of microbial life in Mars’ historical previous.
Known as “adaptive sampling,” the software program autonomously positions the instrument near a rock goal, then appears at PIXL’s scans of the goal to search out minerals price analyzing extra deeply. It’s all completed in actual time, with out the rover speaking to mission controllers again on Earth.
“We use PIXL’s AI to residence in on key science,” mentioned the instrument’s principal investigator, Abigail Allwood of JPL. “With out it, you’d see a touch of one thing fascinating within the knowledge after which have to rescan the rock to review it extra. This lets PIXL attain a conclusion with out people analyzing the information.”
Knowledge from Perseverance’s devices, together with PIXL, helps scientists decide when to drill a core of rock and seal it in a titanium steel tube in order that it, together with different high-priority samples, may very well be dropped at Earth for additional research as a part of NASA’s Mars Sample Return campaign.
Adaptive sampling just isn’t the one utility of AI on Mars. About 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) from Perseverance is NASA’s Curiosity, which pioneered a type of AI that permits the rover to autonomously zap rocks with a laser primarily based on their form and shade. Learning the gasoline that burns off after every laser zap reveals a rock’s chemical composition. Perseverance options this identical capability, in addition to a extra superior type of AI that allows it to navigate with out particular course from Earth. Each rovers nonetheless depend on dozens of engineers and scientists to plan every day’s set of a whole bunch of particular person instructions, however these digital smarts assist each missions get extra completed in much less time.
“The thought behind PIXL’s adaptive sampling is to assist scientists discover the needle inside a haystack of knowledge, releasing up time and power for them to concentrate on different issues,” mentioned Peter Lawson, who led the implementation of adaptive sampling earlier than retiring from JPL. “Finally, it helps us collect one of the best science extra rapidly.”
Utilizing AI to Place PIXL
AI assists PIXL in two methods. First, it positions the instrument good as soon as the instrument is within the neighborhood of a rock goal. Situated on the finish of Perseverance’s robotic arm, the spectrometer sits on six tiny robotic legs, referred to as a hexapod. PIXL’s digital camera repeatedly checks the space between the instrument and a rock goal to help with positioning.
Temperature swings on Mars are massive sufficient that Perseverance’s arm will broaden or contract a microscopic quantity, which might throw off PIXL’s intention. The hexapod mechanically adjusts the instrument to get it exceptionally shut with out coming into contact with the rock.
“We’ve got to make changes on the size of micrometers to get the accuracy we want,” Allwood mentioned. “It will get shut sufficient to the rock to boost the hairs on the again of an engineer’s neck.”
Making a Mineral Map
As soon as PIXL is in place, one other AI system will get the prospect to shine. PIXL scans a postage-stamp-size space of a rock, firing an X-ray beam hundreds of instances to create a grid of microscopic dots. Every dot reveals details about the chemical composition of the minerals current.
Minerals are essential to answering key questions on Mars. Relying on the rock, scientists could be on the hunt for carbonates, which cover clues to how water might have fashioned the rock, or they could be in search of phosphates, which may have offered vitamins for microbes, if any have been current within the Martian previous.
There’s no method for scientists to know forward of time which of the a whole bunch of X-ray zaps will flip up a specific mineral, however when the instrument finds sure minerals, it will possibly mechanically cease to assemble extra knowledge — an motion referred to as a “lengthy dwell.” Because the system improves by machine studying, the listing of minerals on which PIXL can focus with an extended dwell is rising.
“PIXL is type of a Swiss military knife in that it may be configured relying on what the scientists are in search of at a given time,” mentioned JPL’s David Thompson, who helped develop the software program. “Mars is a good place to check out AI since we now have common communications every day, giving us an opportunity to make tweaks alongside the best way.”
When future missions journey deeper into the photo voltaic system, they’ll be out of contact longer than missions at present are on Mars. That’s why there may be sturdy curiosity in growing extra autonomy for missions as they rove and conduct science for the good thing about humanity.
Extra In regards to the Mission
A key goal for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, together with the seek for indicators of historical microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and previous local weather, pave the best way for human exploration of the Crimson Planet, and be the primary mission to gather and cache Martian rock and regolith (damaged rock and mud).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European House Company), would ship spacecraft to Mars to gather these sealed samples from the floor and return them to Earth for in-depth evaluation.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is a part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration method, which incorporates Artemis missions to the Moon that may assist put together for human exploration of the Crimson Planet.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, constructed and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For extra about Perseverance:
Information Media Contacts
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
2024-099
Share
Particulars
Associated Phrases
Discover Extra
发布者：Anthony Greicius，转转请注明出处：https://robotalks.cn/heres-how-ai-is-changing-nasas-mars-rover-science/
