内容来源：https://www.engadget.com/2198367/nasa-is-testing-ernest-rover-that-can-drive-faster-and-lift-its-wheels-to-climb-obstacles/

内容总结：

NASA测试新型火星探测车原型：提速翻障，机动性大幅提升

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）近日公开了其新型探测车原型“欧内斯特”（Ernest）的测试画面。这款专为极端陡坡地形设计的探测车，不仅速度远超现有火星车，还能通过独立抬升车轮的方式翻越障碍，为未来深空探测任务带来革命性突破。

当前NASA的火星探测车虽已取得卓越成就，但局限性依然明显。以性能出众的“毅力号”为例，其在平坦地面上的最高时速仅为0.1英里（约0.16公里），且粗糙地形对车轮损耗严重，遇到岩石、沙坡等障碍时常需绕行。而名为“极端陡坡地形探测车”（Ernest）的新型原型车，旨在解决这些痛点。

据NASA披露，团队已在科罗拉多沙漠对Ernest进行密集测试。与现役火星车的六轮设计不同，Ernest采用四轮结构，原型车长4英尺（约1.2米），未来正式任务版本将扩大一倍。其最大亮点在于每个车轮可独立升降，从而“抬腿”迈过障碍物。测试期间，Ernest在7天内累计行驶超37小时，总里程约16英里（约25.7公里），最高时速达到0.6英里（约0.97公里），相当于“毅力号”的6倍。

NASA喷气推进实验室（JPL）参与月球任务的科学家詹姆斯·基恩表示：“有了这辆车，你可以在月球或火星上开启一场科学公路旅行。”传统火星车（自“旅居者号”起）一直依赖被动式“摇臂转向架”悬挂系统来平衡车轮负重。而Ernest采用了主动式悬挂技术，车头两个动力关节驱动万向节，使其能够实现蠕动、轮式行走和攀爬障碍等多种步态。

此外，Ernest可根据任务需求与能耗状况，在主动与被动悬挂模式间自由切换。凭借四个可转向车轮，它能实现全方向行驶。自2022年项目启动以来，Ernest原型已迭代多次，团队测试了近12种主动悬挂配置，最新版本还增强了“自主决策能力”。NASA表示，研发Ernest的终极目标是打造更快、更远、且对地面控制依赖更低的下一代探测车，大幅拓展人类在月球和火星上的活动范围。

中文翻译：

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）正在测试一款速度更快、能够抬升车轮以翻越障碍的探测车。
该航天机构公布了其“欧内斯特”（Ernest）原型探测车的测试视频。
自上世纪90年代末首辆火星车登陆这颗红色星球以来，NASA的火星探测车已取得诸多成就，但即便是最新型号的探测车仍存在诸多局限。首先，速度极为缓慢：被NASA视为“佼佼者”的“毅力号”在平地上的最高时速仅为约0.1英里。此外，崎岖地形对车轮损耗极大，布满岩石和沙土等障碍的陡坡更是巨大挑战，有时探测车需绕行漫长路程才能抵达目标地点。但本周，NASA展示了一款功能更先进的原型探测车——“极端陡坡地形探测车”（Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain，简称“欧内斯特”）。
NASA一直在科罗拉多沙漠对“欧内斯特”进行测试，探索未来可用于火星和月球任务的新方案。与现役火星车的六轮设计不同，“欧内斯特”配备四轮，车身长四英尺（约1.2米），但实际任务版本的大小将是其两倍。此外，该车的车轮可独立升降，以踩踏或翻越障碍物。据NASA透露，在近期的沙漠测试中，原型车在七天内累计行驶超37小时，行程约16英里（约25.7公里），最高时速达约0.6英里（约0.97公里）。
“你可以驾驶这辆车穿越月球——或火星——进行一次科学公路旅行，”参与月球任务的喷气推进实验室（JPL）行星科学家詹姆斯·基恩（James Keane）表示。自NASA的“旅居者号”火星车起，火星探测车一直依赖名为“摇臂转向架”的被动悬挂系统来保持车轮载荷均衡。而如今，工程师正尝试为“欧内斯特”配置主动悬挂系统以实现更强的机动性。NASA称：“前部两个动力关节控制一个万向节，使探测车能以蠕动、轮步移动和翻越障碍等不同步态行驶。”
它可根据任务需求与能耗在主动与被动悬挂模式间切换，并通过四个可转向车轮实现全向移动。自2022年项目启动以来，“欧内斯特”原型车已迭代多个版本，团队测试了近十种主动悬挂配置。最新版本还具备“增强的自主决策能力”。研发“欧内斯特”的目标是开发比以往探测车覆盖更广、速度更快且更少依赖地球人类操控的技术。

英文来源：

NASA is testing a rover that can drive faster and lift its wheels to climb obstacles
The space agency shared footage of tests with its Ernest prototype rover.
NASA's Mars rovers have accomplished a whole lot since the first one landed on the red planet in the late '90s, but even the latest members of the fleet still have plenty of limitations. For one, they're very slow; Perseverance, which NASA considers a "standout," achieves a top speed of just under .1 mph on flat ground. On top of that, the rough terrain is hard on the rovers' wheels, and steep slopes with hazards like rocks and sand pose a real challenge, sometimes requiring long detours to reach certain targets. But this week, NASA showed off its progress on a prototype that boasts more advanced capabilities: the Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain, or Ernest.
The space agency has been testing Ernest in the Colorado Desert, exploring new approaches that could be used for future missions on Mars and the moon. Ernest has four wheels, in contrast to the current Mars' rovers' six, and is four feet long, though a version that would be used for an actual mission would be double the size. And, it can individually lift its wheels to step on or over obstacles. In the recent tests in the desert, the prototype drove for a total of over 37 hours across seven days, covering roughly 16 miles, according to NASA. It hit a top speed of about .6 mph.
"You could do a science road trip across the Moon — or Mars — with this vehicle," said James Keane, a JPL planetary scientist working on lunar missions. Going back to NASA's Sojourner rover, the Mars rovers have relied on a passive suspension system, the rocker-bogie system, to keep the weight constant across their wheels. Now, though, engineers are trying out active suspension with Ernest to achieve greater mobility. "Two powered joints in front articulate a gimbal that allows the rover to drive using different gaits like squirming, wheel-walking, and obstacle-climbing," NASA says.
It can switch between active and passive suspension depending on the task and energy needs, and thanks to its four steerable wheels, it can drive in any direction. There have already been multiple iterations of the Ernest prototype since the program began in 2022, and the team has tested nearly a dozen active suspension configurations. The latest version also has "enhanced independent decision-making capabilities." The goal with Ernest is to develop the technology for rovers that can cover more ground than those that came before them, and faster, with less reliance on human controllers back on Earth.