Simulation of soft regolith dynamic anchors for celestial exploration

Ebert, Tom; Larochelle, Pierre

doi:10.1109/aero.2016.7500767

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To stabilize the future surficial outposts and structures on planetary bodies, the versatility of anchors seems strikingly tempting and evitable. Numerous investigations have been carried out to evaluate the anchoring usability for the stabilization of lunar and Martian surface bases [17][18][19][20]. Anchors can also provide a much safer condition for rovers and astronauts during missions involving challenging, dangerous media such as cliffs, low-lying craters, loose sand, icy regolith, dusty condition, etc.…”

Section: Geotechnical Properties Of the Martian Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The gravitational acceleration on the Moon's and Mars' surfaces is respectively equal to 1.62 m/s 2 and 3.71 m/s 2 , compared to the 9.81 m/s 2 on Earth. To address this challenge, an anchoring technique was put forward as a conceivably reliable solution for overcoming the microgravity impact [17][18][19][20]. Anchoring techniques aside, the usage of regolith-fabricated pads for facilitating the landing and takeoff operations of the spaceflights is another novel idea in the development of outposts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Review of the Geomechanics Aspects in Space Exploration

Knez

Zamani

2021

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

From the 2000s onwards, unprecedented space missions have brought about a wealth of novel investigations on the different aspects of space geomechanics. Such aspects are related to the exploratory activities such as drilling, sampling, coring, water extraction, anchoring, etc. So far, a whole range of constitutive research projects on the plate tectonics, morphology, volcanic activities and volatile content of planetary bodies have been implemented. Furthermore, various laboratory experiments on extraterrestrial samples and their artificial terrestrial simulants are continually conducted to obtain the physical and mechanical properties of the corresponding specimens. Today, with the space boom being steered by diverse space agencies, the incorporation of geomechanics into space exploration appreciably appears much needed. The primary objective of this article is to collate and integrate the up-to-date investigations related to the geomechanical applications in space technologies. Emphasis is given to the new and future applications such as planetary drilling and water extraction. The main impetus is to provide a comprehensive reference for geoscience scientists and astronauts to quickly become acquainted with the cutting-edge advancements in the area of space geomechanics. Moreover, this research study also elaborates on the operational constraints in space geomechanics which necessitate further scientific investigations.

show abstract

Section: Geotechnical Properties Of the Martian Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Geomechanics Aspects in Space Exploration

Knez

Zamani

2021

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Contrary to microspines catching asperities, other work proposed using “claws” that penetrate the surface of a comet. [ 86 ] However, the mechanism was tested on lunar regolith simulant, which is markedly different than the rocky substrates microspines are designed for. In other work, a lander with robotic arms used cutting disks as end effectors to penetrate a rock surface.…”

Section: Microspinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Contact: A Review of Robotic Attachment Mechanisms for Extraterrestrial Applications

Spenko

2021

Advanced Intelligent Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For many applications, mobile robots must adhere to, grasp, or otherwise attach to external objects to manipulate or anchor to them. In space applications, these actions may take place during satellite grappling, orbital debris capture, perching, or sample extraction. In many of these cases, specialized attachment mechanisms have been proposed because of the unique challenges found in the space environment. Namely, many attachment mechanism technologies that work on Earth are not viable in space. For example, electromagnetism requires ferromagnetic materials, which are not commonly found in space structures; suction does not work because of a lack of an atmosphere; and pressure sensitive adhesives, such as tape, outgas in a vacuum. Instead, there are numerous other technologies that, for a variety of reasons, are more attuned to the space environment. This article presents a review of such technologies with a focus on bio-inspired fibrillar controllable adhesives (i.e., gecko-like, microstructured, or dry adhesives), electrostatic adhesives, and microspines.The article is organized as follows. Section 2 provides an overview of potential robotic applications in the space environment. Potential is key in this instancemost of the technologies described in this article are mature and have been tested thoroughly in simulated space environments, but the leap from experiments to deployment in real missions has yet to occur at scale or even at all. Reasons for this will be discussed throughout the article and in Section 6, which looks at future challenges in this field. Prior to that, Section 3 reviews gecko-like adhesives, and electrostatic adhesion is addressed in Section 4 followed by microspines in Section 5. Applications OverviewThis section details four applications for robotic attachment mechanisms in space and extraterrestrial use: 1) satellite and orbital debris capture, 2) perching drones for astronaut assistance and monitoring, 3) anchoring on asteroids and other rocky surfaces, and 4) climbing for planetary exploration.Following it are three sections that elaborate on the technologies. Satellite and Orbital Debris CaptureDue to the exorbitant cost of launching a satellite, it may be economically advantageous to capture and service satellites that have malfunctioned or are otherwise in need of repair. [1] This concept, that it could be more cost and time efficient to repair, refuel, and otherwise service satellites in space as opposed to launching a new satellite, has seen significant traction recently. [2] In addition, orbital debris is already an issue as there are an estimated 34 000 pieces larger than 20 cm in low Earth orbit that pose significant danger to operational satellites, [3,4] even those that use physical protection. [5] There have been several examples of satellites being lost to or suspected of being lost to orbital debris. [6] Furthermore, there have been at least 16 maneuvers,

show abstract

Dynamic Anchoring in Soft Regolith: Testing and Prediction

Ebert

Larochelle

2018

J. Aerosp. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Simulation of soft regolith dynamic anchors for celestial exploration

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

A Review of the Geomechanics Aspects in Space Exploration

A Review of the Geomechanics Aspects in Space Exploration

Making Contact: A Review of Robotic Attachment Mechanisms for Extraterrestrial Applications

Dynamic Anchoring in Soft Regolith: Testing and Prediction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About