Abstract
The search for extant life has long been an interest since people have been able to successfully explore other worlds. However, on space missions, experiments must be performed autonomously, with limited resources, and a carefully selected suite of instruments. Instruments are additionally constrained by weight, reliability, and size which limits use of many modern advanced systems. The Queen’s Space Engineering Team (QSET) is proposing the design of a portable (12” x 12” x 12”) instrument to identify signs supporting extant life aboard a mobile rover platform during exploration missions. The instrument will receive soil samples collected by the rover, analyse the composition to identify key molecules, and transmit data back to a ground station. This system relies on colorimetric measurements using a UV-VIS spectrometer and features a solvent recycle system to minimize weight and waste. This project is part of a larger environment characterisation module to be mounted on a Mars rover system designed for competition at the University Rover Challenge (URC) at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. As of this date, each subsystem has successfully passed performance testing and the entire instrument is entering its system-level prototyping stage.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The Arsenal: The Undergraduate Research Journal of Augusta University
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
