Hypothesized Surface: Robotic Explorer – Florida State University (Panama City)
INSTITUTION
Florida State University, Panama City
CLASS
Nickel Class (2020 – 2021)
STUDENT TEAM
Jessica Brown-Bosch, Mechanical Engineering
Leila Abdul Hadi, Mechanical Engineering
Colin Jones, Mechanical Engineering
Asia Russel, Mechanical Engineering
ACADEMIC GUIDANCE
Dr. Damion Dunlap, Assistant Teaching Professor, Mechanical Engineering, FSU-Panama City
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The NASA Psyche Mission is set to launch in 2022 and arrive at the asteroid in 2026. It is an orbiter mission and will not land on the surface. It is possible to imagine, however, that after learning about Psyche from orbit, there may be scientists and engineers interested in proposing a subsequent mission to actually land on the asteroid to explore its surface. Considering the range of hypothesized surfaces that might be found at Psyche (along with other constraints such as its gravity), the team designed a robotic explorer capable of efficiently traversing each of the hypothesized surfaces and able to adapt to each of them mid-traverse. Hypothesized surfaces at Psyche may include: mostly flat metallic surface, flat metallic with metal and/or rocky debris, rough/high-relief metallic and/or rocky terrain, high-relief metallic crater walls.