For anybody not a secret that in the coming decades NASA is going to send people to Mars. To travel for a long time to wait, but the Agency says is already configured on it: “during the Apollo program, we hit the road on behalf of all mankind. Unlike Apollo, we’re going to stay at the end point of our journey”.
Of course, easier said than done. In addition to unfriendly for a person of the atmosphere and weak gravity, radiation on Mars could damage the brain and cause cancer and death.
The best way to survive may be the use of networks of lava tubes beneath the surface of Mars, created billions of years ago. However, we will not be able to send the Rovers to investigate. The tube can reach up to 100 meters deep, and with thick walls and high latency connection, this makes it impossible to share information in real time.
The Carnegie Mellon University decided to take on creating a more effective scout: the Autonomous drone. The project team Astrobotic Technology has received 125 thousand dollars from NASA to develop the appropriate software. The ultimate goal of their work should be the robot that can fly and jump over steep passes.
“In space travel safety is a crucial aspect, says founder and leading researcher at Astrobotic William “red” Whittaker. We are confident that we can find underground cavities suitable for human life, among the variety of caves on Mars”.
The robot will be able to fly through unexplored caves, and should be able to make decisions at the speed of 32 kilometers per hour, based on the testimony of its sensors. Because the screws in Mars’s tenuous atmosphere is inefficient, engineers are going to use running on CO2 engines that will allow the drone to sharply turn in the tunnels. When in the tanks of a drone over CO2, used as fuel, it can land and use your radioisotope generator (or solar panels if the drone is on the surface) to power the compressor, which “deflate” fuel from the atmosphere. Thanks to the low gravity of the drone will be able to jump over high obstacles insurmountable with the help of wheels or caterpillars, using spring-loaded rack. Thus, the drone will not have to spend extra fuel for the flight in such cases. Company Astrobotic also plans to set up a mobile mother ships for the drones that will move them long distances to their promising start in the cave and pass all the information on the Ground.