Sending 'rats' to Mars
NASA/JPL NEWS RELEASE
Posted: May 2, 2002

  Tool
Illustration of rock abrasion tool. Photo: NASA/JPL
 
NASA and JPL are sending "rats" to Mars to work as field geologists. A "rat" is not quite a furry little friend, but rather a high-tech robot with diamond teeth, called a rock abrasion tool.

One rock abrasion tool will ride on each of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers, launching in the summer of 2003. These tools will allow humans to remotely "crack open" rocks on Mars for the first time in the history of Mars exploration.

"This is terribly exciting, but it's a little intimidating because no one has ever tried to get into a rock on Mars before," says Stephen Gorevan. Gorevan is the chairman of Honeybee, the small robotics contractor for the rock abrasion tool located in New York City. Gorevan explains that past missions to the martian surface had different science and technology objectives. " The Viking landers in the 1970's scooped up dirt on Mars and the Sojourner rover proved we could move around on Mars in 1997." Digging into a rock is the next step for the maturing Mars program.

Bringing a rock back from Mars or sending a human geologist comes with prohibitive costs, so sending the rock abrasion tool is the next best thing. The tool will enable scientists to peer inside a rock, where they can analyze unweathered minerals and learn about the origins of rocks. Rick Paynter, deputy lead for Quality Assurance on the Mars Exploration Rover project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that the tool will help "peel off the orange rind" and reveal new information about the evolution of Mars. It will also help with comparing rocks on Mars to rocks on Earth.

How the rat runs
The Mars Exploration Rover will traverse Mars, find a rock that's interesting, nuzzle up to it, and maneuver its robotic arm to press the rock abrasion tool up against the chosen rock. The abrasion tool, which is the size of a soda can, will shave away the top layers of the rock. That process may take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours to remove a round hole about 45 millimeters (1.5 inches) in diameter and 5 millimeters (1/8th inch) deep, depending on the texture of the rock.

It's more like an electric shaver than a drill, says Steve Kondos, contract technical manager at JPL . "The difference is, the shaver heads move in and out rather than being stationary - this takes less power. Power, energy, and mass are precious on the rover, so in order to be efficient, we shave the rock rather than drill it, which is power intensive."

After the tool shaves off part of a rock, it scurries aside via a Dr. Seuss-like arm device, which also holds a camera and chemical analysis tools to explore the newly exposed rock layers. Before it goes to grind another rock, it turns around and brushes its "teeth" against a brush spins against it to clear out leftover rock. The RAT is designed to grind away one rock, but could shave up to as many as 10 rocks.

The Rock Abrasion Tool is the brainchild of Mars Exploration Rover Principal Investigator , Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Gorevan of Honeybee says, "Squyres thought of the need to expose a rock on Mars, and got us from point A to point B. Our job has been to get from point B to point Z."

After winning the competitive instrument contract, the Honeybee team has had to follow strict size, mass and pressure requirements generally dictated by the strength limitations set by the robotic arm. The Honeybee team had to use its ingenuity to come up with the optimum way to provide a mini crater in a martian rock. Gorevan says, "We cobbled and cogitated together to test ideas, and we're at about point W on the way to Z."

The rats in New York now have motors
Last week, Steve Kondos and Rick Paynter from JPL hand-delivered to Honeybee the motors that run the tools. "We're really conservative at JPL. The value of the instrument far exceeds the cost," says Paynter. "We split the motors and carried them in different pieces of luggage and took separate planes to New York City."

Now that JPL delivered the motors, "we have a clear path to finish our environmental tests and 'shake and bake' the tool." "Shake and bake" is a process used by engineers to ensure that instruments can withstand the intense vibrations and heat of launch, the extraordinary impact of landing on Mars, and the strong radiation exposure during interplanetary cruise. As time races toward launch, other challenges still remain. "One surprise has been to find how much dust is created by the rock abrasion tool," explains Gorevan at Honeybee. As the robot grinds away at a rock, it generates dust plumes that can blow onto the solar arrays of the rovers or the cameras."

Steve Kondos from JPL calls the people at Honeybee ingenious. "They are concerned with cost and schedule milestones, and best of all, they are fun to be with. Since we come from LA, the Honeybee team introduces us to little known spots, like a deli where the bread is so good that Frank Sinatra used to have loaves shipped from Manhattan to Hollywood every week."

New York, 9/11, and Mars
"After September 11 happened, the first thought was how the team at Honeybee was affected, explains Kondos. "We called immediately, but of course couldn't get in contact with them." Luckily, no one on the team was hurt.

NASA Headquarters just approved putting an American flag on the rock shield of the rock abrasion tool. "It's not the equivalent of placing the American flag in the rubble pile, but it's something like that." Kondos is quiet for a moment, then adds, "We're not stopping our progress and hiding, we're rising to the stars."

Columbia Report
A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Mars Panorama

DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image.
 Choose your store:
U.S.

Apollo 11 Mission Report
Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Rocket DVD
If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Creating Space
Creating Space groups together the history, the vehicles and the models into logical and meaningful categories. This book is equally valuable to space enthusiasts, modellers, and space historians.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Apollo 11 special patch
Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Inside Apollo mission control
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.
 Choose your store:
U.S.

The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD
This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Next ISS crew
Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!
 Choose your store:
U.S.

Final Shuttle Mission Patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

STS-134 Patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Ares 1-X Patch
The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Apollo Collage
This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Project Orion
The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.
 U.S. STORE


Fallen Heroes Patch Collection
The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Spaceflight Now Plus
The web's best space video service! Get additional video, audio, image and virtual reality content for a low-cost monthly or annual subscription fee. Subscriptions start at $5.95/£3.50. Click here to see what's currently available.
 SUBSCRIBE (U.S. Dollars)
 SUBSCRIBE (U.K. Pounds)

Hubble Posters
Stunning posters featuring images from the Hubble Space Telescope and world-renowned astrophotographer David Malin are now available from the Astronomy Now Store.
 U.S. STORE
 U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Get e-mail updates
Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose).
Enter your e-mail address:

Station Calendar
NEW! This beautiful 12" by 12" wall calendar features stunning images of the International Space Station and of the people, equipment, and space craft associated with it, as it takes shape day by day in orbit high above the Earth.
 U.S. STORE
 U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE

INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2012 Spaceflight Now Inc.