Sampling System for Hypothesized Surfaces: Michigan Tech
INSTITUTION
Michigan Technological University
CLASS
Nickel Class (2020 – 2021)
STUDENT TEAM
Josh Beck, Electrical Engineering
David Bellinger, Computer Engineering
Liam Kosloski, Mechanical Engineering
Christopher Stone, Mechanical Engineering
Joseph Weber, Mechanical Engineering
Tommy Childers, Engineering Management (ASU)
ACADEMIC GUIDANCE
Dr. Joe Juarez, Lecturer, School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, ASU
Dr. Fei Long, Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering (Engineering Mechanics), Michigan Tech
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 and sample its surface. Designing to the range of hypothesized surfaces that might be found at Psyche (and keeping in mind other constraints such as its gravity), the team designed a sampling system capable of effectively extracting scientific samples from each of the hypothesized surfaces, including: mostly flat metallic surface, flat metallic with metal and/or rocky debris, rough/high-relief metallic and/or rocky terrain, high-relieve metallic crater walls.