Hello All,

I am interested in building a robotic rover as a hobby. (I am robotics enthusiastic)
Do you know any publicly available CAD files for any Mars rover?
I am particularly interested in details of "rocker-bogie" design.

Thanks,

Albert Goodwill
albertgoodwill at gmail com

No - the design is protected ( very very strongly ) by the CIT legal team. You will struggle to find anything I'm afraid.

Albert,
Doug's right about the design being protected.
Perhaps for your project you can devine some information about the rocker-bogie system by taking a look at some of the work done by other UMSF contributors.

Check these references:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...t=0&start=0
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...t=0&start=0
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...ost&p=71342

Hope it can help you.

Actually that's false: there are FREE 3d models available for Athena rovers!
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...c82b8fee1057b30

There's even Sojourner:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...amp;prevstart=0

What is currently missing is Mars Science Laboratory, and that's a pity, as it would really cool to be able to directly compare their sizes!

But you can also pay for them, if you like... ;-)
http://www.3dcadbrowser.com/preview.aspx?ModelCode=42

Those are not especially accurate 3D models - and they're a million miles from being CAD files.

Doug

I found 3d models for Sojouorner, for MER and for Hexomars, but I miss MSL: can anybody point me in the right direction?
If no 3d models exists, at least I need some good imagea taken from front/side/up to try building it from scratch by myself.

Threads merged. Jumpjack - that last post didn't deserve a new thread.

sorry, just trying to stress "MSL" issue...

Here are some JPL mock-ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7kBTZAGhbs

Does anyone out there in UMSF-land know the track width of the Opportunity Rover?

Also, does anyone know the circumference of the rover wheel? (distance between the 'star pattern' on the tread)?

-Mike

Wheel diameter at the face is 250mm, and at the cleats, 260mm (the wheels are slightly domed across their width) I would expect cleat-marks to be 78.5cm apart.

Wheel width is 160mm - and the distance between the insides of the wheels is 900mm for the front and rear wheels, 790 for the middle wheels. Including 2x 160mm wheel width - the total width between hubs of the front or rear wheels is 1220mm

Roughly.

Thanks, Doug!

[EDIT: Followup question deleted. Nevermind. Doug already answered it. Man, I'm really thick today.....]

-Mike

any news during last year?
is any MSL model available now? I'm interested too on building it.
can't find anything even for Google Sketchup.

There is a detailed wooden model of MSL that you can buy on ebay (not just one for auction, but several for sale). Item number 390150974544.

Just to be clear, I'm not endorsing any product just providing information.

I was looking for something cheaper than the 160$ 3d file I found around... and you're proposing a 200$ model!
No thanks.

I eventually found enough images around to start building GoogleSketchup 3d model from scracth:
http://win98.altervista.org/MSL/MSL.html

any help would be appreciated!

I don't need a really precise model, but just a rough basis to build a real 3d wooden model.

Careful - the background images you're using there are very very out of date.
http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/handle/2014/41421 is a lot better

thanks. it's a pity there is only one side view, do you know any other recent document which could show front or top view?

can anybody point me toward some good images of the wheels & suspensions system of MSL? It's getting me crazy to figure out how it's designed! And MSL photosynth site appears to be designed... right to prevent from fully understanding rover design!!!

I think there's a photo around somewhere of a UMSF member wearing one of the wheels on his head as a hat.

That's an MER wheel.

Oh right. Now that I think of it, the MSL wheels are as large as beer kegs. Now there's an idea......