Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Robotic Tool for Asteroid Resource Prospecting and Characterization, Phase I
Project Introduction
Optical fibers are inherently tolerant of cosmic radiation and a wide temperature range, immune to electromagnetic noise and thus solar flares, etc. Embedded fiber sensors can be highly resistant to shock and vibration, hence their usage in the oil drilling industry. IFOS will work with Stanford's Center for Design Research to develop a robotic prospecting tool with fiber-optic based haptic sensing (dynamic force, vibration, temperature) and capability to detect water, volatiles, metals, and organic compounds. A tool with in-situ analysis capabilities will allow preliminary prospecting to decide what samples are most worthwhile to collect, enabling sampling of a much larger area than one could afford to do otherwise. The prospecting tool will provide a basis for telegeology, where a field geologist can replay haptic display information it gathers. Phase 1 will develop a feasibility prototype with fiber optic haptic and water detection capabilities. Phase 2 will develop a full prototype.
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Anticipated Benefits
The proposed project will facilitate resource prospecting on near earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids. The use of robotics for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) in outer space on various planetary bodies is essential since it uses large quantities of regolith that must be acquired and processed. In some cases this will happen while the crew is not there yet, or it will take place at a remote destination where the crew cannot spend much time due to radiation exposure limits (Asteroids, MarsÔøΩ Moons and NEOs). Communications latencies of greater than 40 minutes at Asteroids mandate autonomous robotics applications. Ultimately, commercial application of space will involve mining of NEOs exploiting technology developed in this project. The proposed work will also benefit haptic capabilities in robots performing (a) dexterous tasks in environments dangerous/inaccessible for humans (e.g., handling hazardous materials) and (b) highly skilled operations to enhance human operator capabilities (e.g., tele-surgery).
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation | Lead Organization | Industry | Santa Clara, California |
Kennedy Space Center
(KSC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Stanford University (Stanford) | Supporting Organization | Academia | Stanford, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Florida
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Organization:
- Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation
Responsible Program:
- Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
Project Duration
Start: Jun 2016
End: Jun 2017
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 3 |
| Estimated End: | 3 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TX07 Exploration Destination Systems
- TX07.1 In-Situ Resource Utilization
- TX07.1.1 Destination Reconnaissance and Resource Assessment
Target Destinations
The Moon, Others Inside the Solar System
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