WE PROPOSE A ROVER ARCHITECTURE FOR EUROPA AND OTHER PLANETARY ENVIRONMENTS WHERE SOFT ROBOTICS ENABLES SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OR HUMAN-PRECURSOR MISSIONS THAT CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH SOLAR OR NUCLEAR POWER. THIS ROVER RESEMBLES A SQUID WITH TENTACLE LIKE STRUCTURES THAT SERVE BOTH AS ELECTRODYNAMIC TETHERS TO HARVEST POWER FROM LOCALLY CHANGING MAGNETIC FIELDS AND AS A MEANS OF BIO-INSPIRED PROPULSION. THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY SCAVENGED FROM THE ENVIRONMENT POWERS ALL ROVER SUBSYSTEMS INCLUDING ONE THAT ELECTROLYZES H20. ELECTROLYSIS PRODUCES A MIXTURE OF H2 AND O2 GAS WHICH IS STORED INTERNALLY IN THE BODY AND LIMBS OF THIS ROVER. IGNITING THIS GAS EXPANDS THESE INTERNAL CHAMBERS CAUSING SHAPE CHANGE TO PROPEL THE ROVER THROUGH FLUID OR PERHAPS ALONG THE SURFACE OF A PLANETARY BODY. THE PHASE I EFFORT CONSTITUTES ADVANCEMENT OF THIS REVOLUTIONARY ROVER CONCEPT FROM TRL 1 TO TRL 2.
$100,000FY2015National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
Cornell University, Ithaca NY