Solenix

On the 20 April, the second experiment for MARVIN, the Multi-purpose Astronaut and Remote Vehicle INteraction, was successfully executed. MARVIN is an ESA project, a cooperation between EAC (the European Astronaut Centre) and ESOC. Two Solenix colleagues are involved in the activity: Toril Bye Rinnan, as the experiment manager, and Thorsten Graber, as a member of the in-scenario ground operations team and responsible for ICT.

The MARVIN activities are preparing for future surface operations, with a special focus on astronaut and rovers working together. The rover was controlled from three different locations – ‘ground’, ‘orbiter’ and ‘the Moon surface’ (including an astronaut walking in close proximity to the rover). The outputs from the experiment provided further metrics and knowledge for rover-assisted crew operations, especially regarding communications, decision-making and handovers between the different operators.

Ground Control from ESOC using MOE (Multi-purpose Operations Environment)

Rover on-board camera views