Hypothesized Surface: Robotic Explorer – MSU-2
INSTITUTION
Michigan State University
CLASS
Nickel Class (2020 – 2021)
STUDENT TEAM
Michael Hayward, Mechanical Engineering
Vik Athreya, Mechanical Engineering
Enrique Infante, Mechanical Engineering
Nattida Jubju, Mechanical Engineering
Aaron Kaplan, Mechanical Engineering
ACADEMIC GUIDANCE
Dr. Joerg Petrasch, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MSU
Dr. William Resh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MSU
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.