Monday, March 16, 2020

NASA Public Design Contest: Venus Rover Obstacle Avoidance Sensor


Artist's concept (2020 February 21) of a proposed wind-powered, Venus Rover probe, being considered for a future launch.
(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org, By NASA/JPL-Caltech - https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/venus/20200221/Rover-2-16.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87366612)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

After several successful probes and rovers sent to the Planet Mars, NASA is now starting to design a rover to probe the hostile surface of the Planet Venus. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is offering a $15,000 prize for the successful entry in a public contest to design an obstacle avoidance sensor for this Venus rover.

Venus is known as Earth's “sister” planet, as Venus is just a wee bit smaller than the Earth (with a similar mass and gravity) and approaches closer to Earth than any other planet. However, that is where the similarities end. Venus is shrouded with opaque and highly-reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, in an extremely dense atmosphere (densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets in our Solar System), consisting of more than 96% carbon dioxide (CO2) which has created a run-away Greenhouse Effect on the planet.

Venus' atmospheric pressure at the planet's surface is 92 times stronger than the pressure on Earth's surface (roughly the pressure found 3,000 feet / 900 meters under the oceans on Earth). NASA notes that this great pressure could easily crush a nuclear-powered submarine.

With a mean surface temperature of +863 degrees Fahrenheit / +462 degrees Celsius / +735 degrees Kelvin, Venus is by-far the hottest planet in the Solar System, despite the fact that Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. And, NASA adds that this heat “can turn lead into a puddle.”

These planetary conditions have made a surface study of Venus very challenging. Both the United States and Russia have had limited success landing probes on Venus. In fact, while the United States has had greater success with probes to the Martian surface, Russia, before dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had concentrated on Venusian landers with notable successes.

The Russian Venera 7 probe became the first spacecraft to soft-land on Venus on 1970 December 15, which stayed in contact with Earth for 23 minutes. The Russian probes Venera 9 and Venera 10 landed and took the first surface photographs of Venus in October of 1975. The first color photographs of the Venus surface were sent back to Earth by the Soviet Venera 13 lander in 1981, which lasted on the surface for a record 127 minutes.

NASA had some success with the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe in 1978, when one of four small probes survived a landing on Venus. This probe transmitted data from the surface for more than an hour.

The last Earth probe to land on Venus was the Russian Vega 2 in 1985.

So, this new Venus rover project will be one of NASA's greatest challenges to-date. Called the Automation Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE), this probe will be designed to operate on the surface of Venus, not for an hour or two, but for months!

AREE is planned to be powered by the Venusian winds, which seem to be somewhat strong and fairly constant on the planet's surface. According to NASA, the extreme pressure on the surface of Venus means that the fairly low wind speeds would feel almost like gale-force winds here on Earth.

The challenge that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has offered for consideration by the general public is to develop an obstacle avoidance sensor for the AREE rover. The “Exploring Hell: Avoiding Obstacles on a Clockwork Rover” challenge seeks a sensor to be incorporated into the final design of the Venus rover. This sensor would be the primary mechanism for the rover to detect and navigate around surface obstructions.

As of now, there is no time-line for when the AREE would be launched toward Venus. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory hopes that the successful development of a robust obstacle avoidance sensor will strengthen the case to return to Venus with a rover, sooner rather than later.

First prize for the winning entry will be $15,000. Second prize ($10,000) and third prize ($5,000) will also be awarded.

Entries are due 2020 May 29.

More information on this “Exploring Hell: Avoiding Obstacles on a Clockwork Rover” challenge:



Internet Links to Additional Information ---

Planet Venus: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus

Observations & Explorations of Venus:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observations_and_explorations_of_Venus

Automation Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE):
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton_Rover_for_Extreme_Environments

Transit of Venus, 2004 & 2012, Viewed from Pittsburgh:
Link >>> http://venustransit.pghfree.net/

Related Blog Posts ---

"Extremely Close Conjunction of Venus & Jupiter Saturday Night." Sat., 2016 Aug. 27.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/extremely-close-conjunction-of-venus.html


"NASA Astronauts to Visit Venus Atmosphere Before Mars?" Mon., 2014 Dec. 29.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/12/nasa-astronauts-to-visit-venus.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              Monday, 2020 March 16.

                             Like This Post?  Please Share!

           More Astronomy & Science News - SpaceWatchtower Twitter Feed:
            Link >>> https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower

        Astronomy & Science Links: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#sciencelinks

                Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your in-box ?
                Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Informal Science Educator & Communicator:
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Formerly Astronomical Observatory Coordinator & Planetarium Lecturer, original Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Pittsburgh's science & technology museum from 1939 to 1991.
Formerly Trustee, Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

8 comments:

  1. Excellent article. I have bookmarked your blog. Greetings Sonya

    ReplyDelete
  2. We are independent company Offering Loan at a cheapest interest(2%). We guarantee any kind of Loan, Government finance Project and Investor Project. etc If you are interested Kindly get back to me for more information via Email: collinsguzmanfundings@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello everyone. I saw comments from people who already got their loan from Howard Financial Services and then I decided to apply under their recommendations and just few hours ago I confirmed in my own personal bank account a total amount of $155,000 which I requested for. I am indeed happy now that i have gotten the loan I requested for. This is really a great news and I am advising everyone who needs loan for real to apply through Howard Financial:

    Contact them through email: Howardfinancial@consultant.com


    Best Wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Call or Whats-app him: +2347012841542

    ReplyDelete
  5. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Whats-app or Call him +2347012841542 

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks to Doctor Razor for the Great miraculous work he did in my life with his herbal remedy. I have been living with this virus and I have shared with my partners my situation because they deserve to have a choice of whether they want to change being with me or not. I unfortunately did not have a choice in this matter leaving me vulnerable and now faced with this virus for the rest of my life or until a cure was discovered.I refused to take the Medical drugs my PCD have told me to take, I surrendered to my fate, because I was careless. Late on at night, Feb 13 2017, I came across Doctor Razor herbal medicine. I browsed about the authenticity of This Doctor, I got to see several Testimonies regarding his works from people he had helped with his medicine. i reached out to him and told him my problems, after we spoke he promised to help me out. I started using his herbal medicine which he sent to me Via the Courier Delivery, and asked me to take the herbal medicine for 18 days. which i did. I am delighted to let you all know that I Got cured of Herpes Virus, after the Medical Doctor had confirmed this with the test results, when I went for a medical check up after completing the Herbal Dosage Of 18 days. Doctor Razor's Website : https://herbalistrazorherb.wixsite.com/drrazorherbalhome or Reach out to Doctor razor via email : drrazorherbalhome@gmail.com
    WhatsApp +2349065420442

    ReplyDelete
  7. A LITTLE ACT OF KINDNESS CAN MAKE YOU REMEMBERED FOR A LONG TIME. GOD BLESS THE GREAT MIND BEHIND CREATING THIS READING PLATFORM. My problem with herpes type 2 has caused me many traumas, especially in my sexual life. I was so afraid of infecting my Boyfriend, I suffered the embarrassment of visiting dermatologists queries hundreds of times. Unfortunately, they did not find a definitive solution to my problem.The solution came from the least expected place By reading in a forum on the subject, mentioned a method for eliminating herpes simplex virus 2. Many people had tried, with excellent and quick results.I had nothing to lose so I decided to use this method to eliminate my herpes 2. spent 18 days using this method and my herpes type 2 completely disappeared. I recommend this method to all those infected with herpes virus, who want to eliminate the herpes from their body forever. Contact Doctor Razor via his Email : drrazorherbalhome@gmail.com , I recommend his herbal herpes healing method. you can visit his website : https://herbalistrazorherb.wixsite.com/drrazorherbalhome, Whatsapp or Call Doctor Razor Via +2349065420442

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for influencing so many readers with your great information. I finally found information I can agree on and use. Thank you for sharing.wenus

    ReplyDelete