# Planetary gravities on a low budget: sample test of a Mars rover wheel

## TL;DR

This paper presents a cost-effective experimental setup using an Atwood machine with sensors and a computer to simulate and study low-gravity environments like Mars, enabling short-duration experiments with real-time data analysis.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel, low-budget instrument capable of simulating a range of extraterrestrial gravities for experimental testing, including a case study on Mars rover wheel performance.

## Key findings

- Achieved gravity simulation from 0.4 g to 1.2 g with low noise
- Performed 1.5-second experiments under Martian gravity conditions
- Demonstrated system's capability with a Mars rover wheel case study

## Abstract

We introduce an instrument for a wide spectrum of experiments on gravities other than our planet's. It is based on a large Atwood machine where one of the loads is a bucket equipped with a single board computer and different sensors. The computer is able to detect the falling (or rising) and then the stabilization of the effective gravity and to trigger actuators depending on the experiment. Gravities within the range 0.4 g to 1.2 g are easily achieved with acceleration noise of the order of 0.01 g. Under Martian gravity we are able to perform experiments of approximately 1.5 seconds duration. The system includes features such as WiFi and a web interface with tools for the setup, monitor and the data analysis of the experiment. We briefly show a case study in testing the performance of a model Mars rover wheel in low gravities.