Hypothesized Surface: Robotic Explorer – ASU
INSTITUTION
Arizona State University
CLASS
Nickel Class (2020 – 2021)
STUDENT TEAM
Kelly Anderson, Electrical Engineering
Noah Contreras, Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics)
Kevin Horton, Electrical Engineering
Elizabeth Jones, Electrical Engineering
Charlotte Mar, Mechanical Engineering
Peter Linenberger, Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics)
Michelle Patterson, Industrial Engineering
Sakura Swain, Electrical Engineering
Sebastiao Vale de Gato, Mechanical Engineering
Miriam Youssef, Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design)
Trey Callands, Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design) (Fall 2020)
ACADEMIC GUIDANCE
Dr. Chris Groppi, Associate Professor, ASU School Of Earth and Space Exploration
Dr. Joe Juarez, Lecturer, School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, ASU
Dr. Michael Kozicki, Professor, ASU School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
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.