一款由美国国家航空航天局喷气推进实验室（JPL）研制的四轮原型火星车，具备先进移动性与机器人自主能力，于2026年3月在加利福尼亚州普拉斯特城附近的科罗拉多沙漠开展实地测试。该火星车名为ERNEST（极端坡度地形探测火星车，Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain），本次测试中作为为其开发的自主软件的试验平台。

Description A prototype four-wheel rover developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with advanced mobility and robotic autonomy capabilities trundled across the Colorado Desert near Plaster City, California, during a field test in March 2026. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain), the rover served here as a testbed for autonomy software developed for […]

一款由美国国家航空航天局（NASA）喷气推进实验室（JPL）研制的四轮原型漫游车，具备先进的越障能力与机器人自主性，在2026年3月于加利福尼亚州普拉斯特城（Plaster City）附近的科罗拉多沙漠开展野外试验期间进行了实地行驶。该漫游车名为ERNEST（Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain，极端坡度地形导航探测漫游车），本次试验将其作为软件平台，用于验证为未来月球任务开发的自主导航系统——该任务要求漫游车实现比当前行星漫游车更高的行驶速度与更长的总里程。试验中，工程师团队全程跟随ERNEST漫游车，在总计37小时的行驶时间内完成了约16英里的行程。这一速度超过NASA“毅力号”（Perseverance）火星漫游车在火星表面行进速度的10倍以上。研究团队还测试了漫游车在黄昏、黎明及夜间条件下的行驶性能，以模拟月球极区大范围地形阴影环境。图A显示漫游车正驶向其自身投影的阴影；图B显示两名团队成员在夜间为漫游车安装照明设备；图C显示三名团队成员正在观测漫游车执行长距离穿越任务；图D显示漫游车一个车轮悬停于岩石之上。ERNEST项目始于2022年，初期由JPL内部研发资金支持；目前由NASA火星探测计划（Mars Exploration Program）及华盛顿总部科学任务理事会（Science Mission Directorate）下属的探索科学战略整合办公室（Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office）提供资助。加州帕萨迪纳市的加州理工学院（Caltech）为NASA代管JPL。

A prototype four-wheel rover developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with advanced mobility and robotic autonomy capabilities trundled across the Colorado Desert near Plaster City, California, during a field test in March 2026. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain), the rover served here as a testbed for autonomy software developed for a potential lunar mission requiring higher speeds and much greater mileage than can be achieved with current planetary rovers. ERNEST was trailed by engineers as it traveled about 16 miles over the course of 37 hours of drive time. That’s more than 10 times the speed at which NASA’s Perseverance rover can navigate on Mars. The team also tested how well the rover traveled at dusk, dawn, and nighttime to simulate the experience of large terrain shadows in polar regions on the Moon. Figure A shows the rover traveling toward its shadow. Figure B shows two team members setting up illuminators on the rover at night. Figure C shows three team members observing the rover during its long-range traverse. Figure D shows the rover with one wheel up on a rock. Work on ERNEST began in 2022 and was initially supported by JPL internal research and development funds. It is currently funded by NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and the agency’s Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office under its Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.