Scientists have finally pinpointed the reason why robotic rovers often become bogged down in the soils of celestial bodies like the Moon and Mars. It turns out the key factor is the unique behavior of dust and sand under varying gravitational conditions.
Although humanity is getting better at sending robotic probes out into the Solar System to explore the places no human can tread, we're still very much on a learning curve.was launched from Earth in 1970.
It's only now, more than half a century later, that scientists have figured out why these marvels of ingenuity and engineering keep getting stuck in the soils of alien worlds. "In retrospect, the idea is simple: We need to consider not only the gravitational pull on the rover but also the effect of gravity on the sand to get a better picture of how the rover will perform onMaking a rover that will operate in an alien environment is more complicated than making one that will work on Earth. We've lostto giant dust storms that leave drifts of sand on solar panels, preventing the machinery from being able to generate power, for instance. Gravity is another one. The Solar System bodies on which we have deployed robotic rovers have lower gravity than Earth, and thisNevertheless, rovers still manage to get stuck pretty often, requiring control teams to conduct a series of maneuvers to try and free the poor robot. It's usually fine, if annoying, although in one notable case it was not: NASA'sUsing computer simulations running on a physics-based engine called Project Chrono, Negrut and his colleagues set out to get to the bottom of this recurring problem. Comparing their results with real-world tests on sandy surfaces revealed a discrepancy that pointed right to it. Previous tests of rover designs in Moon- and Mars-simulated dirt omitted one very, very important detail: sand, also, behaves differently under different gravitational conditions. The dust that coats the Moon and Mars is fluffier and squishier than dust on Earth, shifting more easily, and hindering traction – making it far easier for their wheels to get stuck. Think of a vehicle on Earth that has driven into slippery mud, or very loose desert sand. This eureka moment could be the missing piece of the puzzle that could keep future space exploration rovers out of a dusty jam.."I'm proud of what we've accomplished. It's very difficult as a university lab to put out industrial-strength software that is used by NASA."
ROBOTICS SPACEREVELATION PLANETARYSOILS GRAVITY ENGINEREING
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