When the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover was on the journey to the Red Planet Mars, its legs, Rocker and Bogie, and wheels were stowed in a particular pose so as to minimize the general size of the Perseverance Rover. which allows it to be housed inside the spacecraft.
Perseverance rover descent stageMars 2020 Perseverance Rover in the spacecraft
About 12 seconds before TD (touchdown), around 66 feet (20 meters) above the Martian surface, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover unstowed its and then locking its legs and wheels into landing position.
Our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica doesn’t have a mechanism to realize the automatic change between the stowed and the unstowed poses. However, you can switch between the two poses manually.
The following screenshot shows how the stowed pose of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica looks like in the 3D industrial design software.
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica legs Rocker Bogie Stowed
The suspension system of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is one of its most interesting structures. It uses mechanical leverage to spread the weight of the rover to each of the Perseverance Rover’s wheels relatively equally. This ingenious structure also minimizes the tilt of the Perseverance Rover when it drives over uneven terrain. Among the three components,
“Differential-Rocker-Bogie”, of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s suspension system, the most strategic one is the differential. Without it, the weight cannot pass to the other side forcefully. Therefore, in some situations, the three wheels on one side have to bear a major proportion of the weight of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. While with the “Differential”, the burden is shared on both sides forcefully.
While the connections of all the joints of the “Differential-Rocker-Bogie” suspension system are purely mechanical, the steering of the two front wheels and two rear wheels are realized by motors. This arrangement allows the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to turn a full 360 degrees in place. Also, there is a driving motor for each of the six wheels at the terminals of the suspension structure.
Since we are building our 1:2 Mars Perseverance Rover Replica as a moveable and motorized replica, all the mechanical structures of the suspension system must be made exactly the same as the real Mars rover. And meanwhile, the structure must be strong enough to withstand the weight of the Mars Rover Perseverance replica. The steering motors and driving motors of our 1:2 Mars Perseverance Rover replica allows it to steer and drive exactly the same as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica Rocker Bogie leg 1Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica Rocker Bogie leg 2
