Extreme Environment Sampling System Deployment Mechanism

Future Venus or Comet mission architectures may feature robotic sampling systems comprised of a Sampling Tool and Deployment Mechanism. Since 2005, Honeybee has been developing extreme-temperature motors, position sensors, brakes, and gearboxes, resulting in multiple successful demonstrations of component-level technologies under Venus-like environmental conditions. An important next step toward a viable Venus or Comet surface mission architecture is to combine these components and raise the TRL of the total sampling system including the Deployment Mechanism. The proposed work will leverage component development to date by integrating extreme temperature actuators with functional elements to demonstrate a complete multi-DOF Deployment Mechanism suitable for candidate surface missions. More »