{"stable_id":"08604fd5ea0768d6","slug":"nasa-perseverance-autonav","company":"NASA JPL","workflow_name":"Perseverance Enhanced Autonomous Navigation","function_code":"engineering","pattern_codes":["creator_to_judge"],"changed_assumption":"Communication latency requires local path authority.","evidence_strength":"verified","publication_tier":"showcase","freshness":"current","reviewed_at":"2026-08-23","updated_at":"2026-08-22","source_quality_summary":"1 peer reviewed, 1 primary; publication outcomes are verified.","caveat_summary":"Cross-generation mission comparison.","freshness_caveat":null,"workflow_summary":{"before":[{"actor":"Earth rover planners","action":"Use orbital and rover imagery to define route goals and commanded drive segments.","actor_type":"control"},{"actor":"Rover and ground team","action":"Executes a commanded segment and waits for telemetry review before subsequent planning.","actor_type":"human"}],"hinge":"Communication latency requires local path authority.","after":[{"actor":"Enhanced AutoNav","action":"Builds local terrain maps, checks collision/slip risk, and selects paths onboard.","actor_type":"system"},{"actor":"Earth operations team","action":"Sets goals and corridors, reviews telemetry, and handles hazards that stop autonomous progress.","actor_type":"human"}],"decision_mode":"shared","decision_marker":"Human moves from creator to judge"},"before":[{"order":1,"actor":"Earth rover planners","action":"Use orbital and rover imagery to define route goals and commanded drive segments.","handoff_to":"Deep Space Network command queue","control":"Communication delay prevents real-time joystick control; prior rover comparison provides no uniform terrain-adjusted cycle time."},{"order":2,"actor":"Rover and ground team","action":"Executes a commanded segment and waits for telemetry review before subsequent planning.","handoff_to":"Science planning queue","control":"Ground mission safety review."}],"after":[{"order":1,"actor":"Enhanced AutoNav","action":"Builds local terrain maps, checks collision/slip risk, and selects paths onboard.","handoff_to":"Rover drive actuators","control":"Conservative wheel bounding boxes, FPGA vision, and stop behavior."},{"order":2,"actor":"Earth operations team","action":"Sets goals and corridors, reviews telemetry, and handles hazards that stop autonomous progress.","handoff_to":"Science target or recovery plan","control":"Human mission authority; ENav owns only bounded local motion."}],"decision_rights":"ENav owns local motion; Earth owns mission goals.","exception_path":"Hazard or uncertainty stops rover for ground review.","removed_work":["Human review between every short segment"],"outcomes":[{"metric":"Autonomous distance share","baseline":"Earlier rovers at most 5% in cited comparison","result":"About 90% of 32.1 km used ENav","period":"Through 2024-10-28","scale":"32.1 km","attribution_caveat":"Cross-generation mission comparison.","evidence_label":"verified"}],"executive_lesson":"Humans specify intent; the machine owns safe local action.","anti_pattern":"Do not compare speed without terrain context.","questions_for_leaders":["Where is the operating threshold set and who can override it?","What measured result would trigger rollback or retraining?","Which residual decisions must remain human-owned?"],"collections":["human-still-decides","embodied-work"],"bundle_version":"1.0.0","bundle_fingerprint":"sha256:c23c6cc2b88153d008ea8fda928f632ce0011fc2d4c5036672a16e5d895bab93","canonical_url":"https://brianletort.ai/transformations/nasa-perseverance-autonav"}