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Mars Rover: Tumbleweed Models

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the hither-and-yon dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A North Carolina State project has prototyped a wind-blown Mars exploration rover. It draws its inspiration from the lowly tumbleweed, to cover large distances with low-power requirements. For collecting atmospheric, thermal or geological samples across great distances, the 'single-wheel' tumbleweed has some advantages over the usual four-wheeling approach to tough terrain."

8 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. How do they steer? by aarondyck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I quickly read over the article, and I failed to see any reference to direction of this thing. Now, it would seem to me that it could get blown into a place that it could not get out of. Without some sort of steering mechanism how do they ever plan to work this thing? And of course, since there are no GPS satellites around Mars they couldn't even determine the location, especially if it was picked up by the wind or something. It sounds like a good idea in theory, but it seems to me that the data would be nearly irellivent without positional data to accompany it.

    --
    In order to be immortal you must be organize
    1. Re:How do they steer? by Timesprout · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I dont think steering is an issue with this sort of project. Its simply to collect data from as many wide ranging sources as possible for trend analysis at a later point as opposed to the majority of past/current efforts which can only focus on a few square metres of the planets surface. I imagine they dont really care where it goes if it broadens the sample pool.

      --
      Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
      What truth?
      There is no dupe
    2. Re:How do they steer? by porksodas · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A possible explanation may be that they don't want to steer. A device this simple, and with these kinds of power requirements, may be deployed on a far larger scale than a single, expensive explorer-cart. They might not be able to provide positional data, but that may well be compensated by their range and numbers. Imagine hundred of these rolling around Mars, for a year or so, continually transmitting usefull measurements... Besides : they might be able to detect their positions from down here - most likely not as accurate as GPS, but still...

    3. Re:How do they steer? by malia8888 · · Score: 5, Funny
      I don't know how they steer; however, from years of living on the plains of Oklahoma observing hundreds of tumbleweeds I know where the Mars rover will end up....

      stuck in a barbed wire fence;)

      --
      Harpo Tunnel Syndrome--my wrist feels funny.
  2. Control? by neksys · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is an interesting idea.... but its entire basis for movement -- the wind on Mars -- seems to limit its usefulness to gathering data only on the areas of Mars where winds blow the strongest. Not that there isn't valuable information to be gathered there, but aren't windy areas somewhat of a scientific dead-end? I mean, if this thing ends up following the prevalent wind currents, wouldn't it just sort of follow a relatively smooth path worn away by centuries of wind erosion? The "juicy bits" of Mars are those that have been left more or less untouched for millenia -- those are the areas that give us the greatest insight into the history of the planet... which are precisely the areas that this thing won't be blown to -- and I suspect, where one would find just the sort of rough terrain this probe is built for. Wind has a bad habit of mixing things up -- ie. are these mineral samples native to the area, or have they been carried from the other side of the planet by this wind system?

  3. Not such a bad idea by reezle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you could put 50 of these things down at once, scatter them around.... (They are terribly light-weight, right? Supposed to be blown around by the thin martian wind?) You sprinkle them on mars from orbit, and they expand to catch the wind for re-entry. They bounce a few times, then start tumbling along.

    So what if a few get stuck in a crevasse here and there? As far as location tracking, I'd assume they would each have their own radio frequency, and the orbiter would only be able to pick them up when it was over the horizon. Shouldn't be too terribly hard to get a rouch idea where the thing is. (Data sent back from the probe, compared against current mapping images ought to tell the rest of the story)

    I like this idea better than building one (or two) big clunky rovers that have a 50/50 chance of surviving Nasa's re-entry math.

  4. Re:I don't know... by moncyb · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't really like the idea of any sort of "seed" probing like that. For one, it seems like an invasion of sorts.

    Well, if the Martians were really afraid of an Earthling invasion, they'd already have sent their nukes over here, now wouldn't they. ;-)

    Two, its a recipe for spreading bacteria all over the planet ... how can we tell if these bacteria or whatever are originally from Mars or from Earth?

    You call it contamination. I call it terraforming. ;-)

  5. Is it me? by mikeophile · · Score: 5, Funny
    Or does it look like the guy in front on the main article picture is copping a serious feel from the hottie next to him with his right hand?

    She doesn't seem to mind.

    NASA girls rock.