FIDO is a prototype rover. This means it is used to test operations on Earth, but will never go to Mars. FIDO is tested in the "Mars Yard" at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at other sites, including terrains on Earth that are analogous to those found on Mars. The image below of FIDO in the Mars Yard shows its height with the mast fully extended during calibration exercises.
Dimensions:
- 97 cm wide
- 110 cm long
- 53 cm high
Weight:
- 61.8 kilograms or 136 pounds
Instruments:
- Mast: The mast extends 1.94 m above the ground. It includes a Pancam, Navcam and Infrared Point Spectrometer (IPS).
- Body: The Mini-Corer, caching tubes, and stereo Bellycams are mounted to the body of the rover. The rover has autonomous hazard avoidance systems on-board, consisting of body-mounted stereo cameras (Hazcams) that examine terrain immediately in front of or to the rear of the rover. Obstacles judged too high to go over (approximately 30 cm for FIDO) are avoided by going around them.
- Instrument Arm: The instrument arm includes a Mössbauer Spectrometer and Color Microscopic Imager. A brush will be added before the next field tests, and a Raman Spectrometer will be integrated by June 2001.
Top speed:
- Approximately 6 meter per minute on flat terrain.
Power sources:
- Solar Panel
- Replaceable batteries
Total power:
- Approximately 100W
Materials:
- Wheels - aluminum with steel spikes and cleats
- Rocker/bogie structure - aluminum tubes
- Chassis - aluminum honeycomb with aluminum face sheets; aluminum side panels
- Strongback - carbon-fiber composite honeycomb with
carbon-fiber composite egg-crate with carbon-fiber composite face sheets
- Mast and instrument arm tubes - carbon-fiber composite
- Remainder of FIDO structure - aluminum