The next generation of rovers, will be more flexible. Instead of simple command sequences, the rovers will execute complex contingency plans, which tell the rover explicitly what to do if something goes wrong. They will also execute plans more robustly, so minor problems such as incorrect resource estimates or motor overheating do not cause complete failure. Finally, they will be able to identify and diagnose internal faults and recover from simple failures.

The backing-up operation should include the ability to try different approach paths if obstacles block the planned route. The rover should also be able to take a moment to let an overheating motor cool down rather than abandoning the operation. In addition, the rover should notice that a wheel seems to be malfunctioning and pulling the rover off-path, and it should autonomously shift control algorithms to compensate. Certainly the rover should verify correct instrument placement before doing hours of measurements; furthermore, the rover should have alternative plans in caseit cannot make contact with the rock despite its best efforts.

While it is performing measurements, the rover should monitor its energy level to make sure that it will have enough energy left to send its data to Earth during the next communication event. It should cut short the measurements if it ends up in the shade of a larger rock and cannot charge its battery enough to complete the task and also communicate.
The technology needed to construct such a rover is within reach using artificial intelligence technology in development today.

Interaction with the environment

In the past, MIR (model based mode identification and reconfiguration system) has been used to model systems, such as spacecraft, in which the environment outside the spacecraft can be effectively ignored. Spacecraft follow known trajectories, free of obstacles, in which the external environment can be reduced to a few simple variables, such as the relative position of the Earth. On rovers, interaction with the environment is central to many of the possible faults: dust accumulates on the solar panels, the rover passes into the shadow of large rocks, or it gets caught on small ones. In order to handle failures involving external factors, we need to add the capability to reason from first principles about the rover and its interaction with the environment. We intend to combine the model-based deduction used by MIR with hybrid simulation, to capture factors such as rover kinematics.