PALLAS: A Portable Asteroid Lift and Lock Aggregate System
- Paper number
IAC-16,E2,3-GTS.4,2,x32659
- Coauthor
Ms. Charlotte Kiang, Cornell University, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Jeffrey Ly, Cornell University, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Eric Berg, Cornell University, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Priscilla Cancar, Cornell University, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Hannah Rudin, Cornell University, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles, Cornell University, United States
- Year
2016
- Abstract
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently developing a robotic mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) and redirect it into lunar orbit. Once this mission is complete, NASA plans to send a manned mission to the same NEA so that astronauts can explore it and return to Earth with samples from the NEA’s surface. Doing so will require a new set of extravehicular activity (EVA) tools, as existing surface sampling tools were designed during the Apollo program for use in a lunar gravity environment, in contrast to the microgravity environment presented by a NEA. Among the tools required for NEA exploration is a float sample grabber, which will allow astronauts to capture and store loose samples from a NEA’s surface without cross-contamination between collection sites. This paper describes the design, prototyping, fabrication, and testing processes for a human-operated tool for NEA float sample grabbing. Details are also given on the team’s efforts to use the tool development process to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists through a comprehensive outreach plan. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data obtained from human trials on the ground and at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) will be presented and discussed to evaluate the device’s viability as an EVA tool.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)