Flash lidar performance testing: configuration and results

Future planetary and lunar landers can benefit from a hazard detection (HD) system that employs a lidar to create a highresolution 3D terrain map in the vicinity of the landing site and an onboard computer to process the lidar data and identify the safest landing site within the surveyed area. A divert maneuver would then be executed to land in this safe site. An HD system enables landing in regions with a relatively high hazard abundance that would otherwise be considered unacceptably risky, but are of high interest to the scientific community. A key component of a HD system is a lidar with the ability to generate a 3D terrain image with the required range precision in the prescribed time and fits within the project resource constraints. In this paper, we present the results obtained during performance testing of a prototype "GoldenEye" 3D flash lidar developed by ASC, Inc. The testing was performed at JPL with the lidar and the targets separated by 200 m. The analysis of the lidar performance obtained for different target types and albedos, pulse energies, and fields of view is presented and compared to key HD lidar requirements identified for the Mars 2018 lander.

[1]  Diego F. Pierrottet,et al.  Processing of three-dimensional flash lidar terrain images generating from an airborne platform , 2009, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[2]  Patrick Pinet,et al.  Martian surface mineralogy from Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité on board the Mars Express spacecraft (OMEGA/MEx): Global mineral maps , 2007 .

[3]  Bruce Johnson,et al.  Characterization measurements of ASC FLASH 3D ladar , 2009, Security + Defence.

[4]  Diego F. Pierrottet,et al.  Characterization of 3-D imaging lidar for hazard avoidance and autonomous landing on the Moon , 2007, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[5]  Andrew E. Johnson,et al.  Test implementation to evaluate technologies for safe lunar landing , 2011, 2011 Aerospace Conference.

[6]  Andrew E. Johnson,et al.  Field test implementation to evaluate a flash LIDAR as a primary sensor for safe lunar landing , 2010, 2010 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[7]  Gregory J. Fetzer,et al.  Signal processing, image registration, and visualization of FLASH lidar data , 2003, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[8]  Andrew E. Johnson,et al.  Analysis of flash lidar field test data for safe lunar landing , 2010, 2010 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[9]  Roger Stettner,et al.  Compact 3D flash lidar video cameras and applications , 2010, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[10]  Raja Mukherji,et al.  Full-scale testing and platform stabilization of a scanning lidar system for planetary landing , 2008, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.