Streamlined Design Approach Lands Mars Pathfinder

ded systems software for planetary space exploration. The high degree of reliability, autonomy, and flexibility these systems require, combined with demanding mission requirements and the high cost of failure, place extraordinary demands on the systems produced. In September 1993, we began our attempt at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to land a spacecraft on the planet Mars. This spacecraft, Mars Pathfinder, landed a weather station, stereoscopic imager, and six-wheeled autonomous roving vehicle on a rocky Martian flood plain. Due to limited funds, Pathfinder’s development had to be dramatically different from the way in which previous spacecraft had been developed. Instead of the traditional 8to 10-year schedule and $1-billion-plus budget, Pathfinder was developed in three years for less than $150 million—the cost of some Hollywood movies! Streamlined Design Approach Lands Mars Pathfinder