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If you used something like google maps to create a 360° Topographical map of an area on Mars could you use it to create a virtual simulated reality similarly to how you would manipulate google maps street view?

If the range in diameter of the camera taking in/mapping its surroundings and signal speed is greater then distance the rover can travel, could you interact with static objects in what would be an artificial virtual real time?

If that makes sense, obviously the action wouldn’t take place in real time hence only being able to interact with static objects.

As the map expands and becomes more accurate could you begin a task on earth from (beginning to end) remotely in a “realistic recreation virtual reality” in what appears like a real time action that would begin and end 20min after on Mars in what would be the rovers real time?

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Could you interact with static objects in what would be an artificial virtual real time?

Not unless the rovers move at micrometers per second, or slower. The Mars rovers are slow, but not that slow.

The round trip time for information from a rover to travel to Earth and an response from Earth received y the rover is ranges from over 6 minutes to as long as 45 minutes. That discounts the amount of time needed to make the response. Teleoperation as used with simple robots on Earth is not possible with Mars rovers.

The commands to Mars rovers need to be much higher level than the commands sent to Earth-bases telerobots. The long delay means Mars rovers need some level of autonomy. They need to recognize and respond to hazards on their own.

And they still need to move slowly, but not as slowly as would be needed for mindless teleoperation.

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    $\begingroup$ Understood the time for signals very depending on orbits, was just using 20 min as reference... also understand the need for autonomous response or overrides... I imagine things are fairly static on Mars, that being said the most up to date map you would have on earth is between 6-45min old... if the environment changed at any point in real time that put the rover at risk an autonomous action would stop the “simulation” and wouldn’t restart until the new information was mapped and received on earth. $\endgroup$
    – Aaron Tout-McCarthy
    Oct 19, 2020 at 4:43
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    $\begingroup$ Not to defend a dead issue just wanted to reiterate that I did put some thought into it before asking for y’all’s insight... appreciate the thoughtful responses and I’ll stop trying to take AI jobs... for now ;) $\endgroup$
    – Aaron Tout-McCarthy
    Oct 19, 2020 at 5:07
  • $\begingroup$ @AaronTout-McCarthy The best global map of Mars has 6 to 12 meter resolution, and the registration error is worse than that. Mars does not have anything like ground stations on the Earth whose global positions are known to the centimeter level, or GPS that yields positions to the ten meter level. The HiRISE camera provides better resolution, about a meter, but the imagery is not global and the registration errors remain in the tens of meters. The 1 meter boulder that might tip a rover is close to invisible to the highest resolution orbiting camera. $\endgroup$
    – David Hammen
    Oct 19, 2020 at 13:14
  • $\begingroup$ Understood you would need a camera with multiple angles and high resolution, Instead of trying to make a global map you would have a diameter to work out of... Again sorry to defend a dead point. If nothing I hope it’s been an interesting thought experiment for y’all 🙏 $\endgroup$
    – Aaron Tout-McCarthy
    Oct 19, 2020 at 18:31
  • $\begingroup$ I read a cool article put out by NASA that helped me further understand the technical restraint we have talking with the rover with current technology... mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/communications $\endgroup$
    – Aaron Tout-McCarthy
    Oct 20, 2020 at 16:36

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