Abstract
Surface mobility on planetary bodies has enabled nearly two decades of scientifically-rich exploration of the red planet, however not without its challenges. Future exploration will likely demand enhanced mobility to access more challenging terrain. In this paper, we apply resistive force theory (RFT) to a general grouser geometry model, and present simulation results that show the impact of several parameters on draw-bar pull. This work represents initial steps toward optimizing grouser geometry to maximize draw-bar pull, while maintaining ability to traverse rocks of certain geometries and minimizing energy usage per traverse distance. These criteria are of particular importance in power-constrained planetary rovers.
