Linux and JPL's Mars Exploration Rover Project: Earth-based Planning, Simulation, and Really Remote Scheduling

NASA/JPL's Mars Exploration Rover project is the first time a JPL flight project has used Linux systems for critical mission operations. Scott Maxwell and Frank Hartman, two of MER's rover drivers, also wrote the Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program (RSVP), the Linux-based software used on Earth to drive Spirit and Opportunity. Scott and Frank will discuss the software they developed, as well as their experiences using Linux to drive two vehicles across the Martian terrain, a hundred million miles from Earth.