TY - CHAP A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Mikucki, Jill A. A1 - Tulaczyk, Slawek A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Espe, Clemens A1 - Plescher, Engelbert A1 - Xu, Changsheng T1 - IceMole - a maneuverable probe for clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial aquatic ecosystems : extended abstract / SCAR Open Science Conference 2012, Session 29: Advancing Clean Technologies for Exploration of Glacial Aquatic Ecosystems N2 - The ”IceMole“ is a novel maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial water/brine. It is developed and build at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. A first prototype was successfully tested on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier in 2010. Clean sampling is achieved with a hollow ice screw (as it is used in mountaineering) at the tip of the probe. Maneuverability is achieved with a differentially heated melting head. Funded by the German Space Agency (DLR), a consortium led by FH Aachen currently develops a much more advanced IceMole probe, which includes a sophisticated system for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in the ice. We intend to use this probe for taking clean samples of subglacial brine at the Blood Falls (McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica) for chemical and microbiological analysis. In our conference contribution, we 1) describe the IceMole design, 2) report the results of the field tests of the first prototype on the Morteratsch glacier, 3) discuss the probe’s potential for the clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial liquids, and 4) outline the way ahead in the development of this technology. KW - Eisschicht KW - Sonde KW - subsurface ice KW - subglacial aquatic ecosystems Y1 - 2012 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Xu, Changsheng A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Plescher, Engelbert A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Artmann, Gerhard T1 - Development and testing of a subsurface probe for detection of life in deep ice : [abstract] N2 - We present the novel concept of a combined drilling and melting probe for subsurface ice research. This probe, named “IceMole”, is currently developed, built, and tested at the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. Here, we describe its first prototype design and report the results of its field tests on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier. Although the IceMole design is currently adapted to terrestrial glaciers and ice shields, it may later be modified for the subsurface in-situ investigation of extraterrestrial ice, e.g., on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. If life exists on those bodies, it may be present in the ice (as life can also be found in the deep ice of Earth). KW - Eisschicht KW - Sonde KW - subsurface probe KW - subsurface ice research Y1 - 2011 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Mikucki, Jill A1 - Tulaczyk, Slawek A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Espe, Clemens A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Francke, Gero A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Xu, Changsheng T1 - IceMole : A maneuverable probe for clean in situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial aquatic ecosystems JF - Annals of Glaciology N2 - There is significant interest in sampling subglacial environments for geobiological studies, but they are difficult to access. Existing ice-drilling technologies make it cumbersome to maintain microbiologically clean access for sample acquisition and environmental stewardship of potentially fragile subglacial aquatic ecosystems. The IceMole is a maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in situ analysis and sampling of glacial ice and subglacial materials. The design is based on the novel concept of combining melting and mechanical propulsion. It can change melting direction by differential heating of the melting head and optional side-wall heaters. The first two prototypes were successfully tested between 2010 and 2012 on glaciers in Switzerland and Iceland. They demonstrated downward, horizontal and upward melting, as well as curve driving and dirt layer penetration. A more advanced probe is currently under development as part of the Enceladus Explorer (EnEx) project. It offers systems for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in ice. For the EnEx-IceMole, we will pay particular attention to clean protocols for the sampling of subglacial materials for biogeochemical analysis. We plan to use this probe for clean access into a unique subglacial aquatic environment at Blood Falls, Antarctica, with return of a subglacial brine sample. KW - Antarctic Glaciology KW - Extraterrestrial Glaciology KW - Glaciological instruments and methods KW - Subclacial exploration KW - Subglacial lakes Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/2014AoG65A004 SN - 1727-5644 VL - 55 IS - 65 SP - 14 EP - 22 PB - Cambridge University Press CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Linder, Peter A1 - Zierke, S. A1 - Wulfen, B. van A1 - Clemens, J. A1 - Konstantinidis, K. A1 - Ameres, G. A1 - Hoffmann, R. A1 - Mikucki, J. A1 - Tulaczyk, S. A1 - Funke, O. A1 - Blandfort, D. A1 - Espe, Clemens A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Francke, Gero A1 - Hiecker, S. A1 - Plescher, Engelbert A1 - Schöngarth, Sarah A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Eliseev, D. A1 - Heinen, D. A1 - Scholz, F. A1 - Wiebusch, C. A1 - Macht, S. A1 - Bestmann, U. A1 - Reineking, T. A1 - Zetzsche, C. A1 - Schill, K. A1 - Förstner, R. A1 - Niedermeier, H. A1 - Szumski, A. A1 - Eissfeller, B. A1 - Naumann, U. A1 - Helbing, K. T1 - Navigation technology for exploration of glacier ice with maneuverable melting probes JF - Cold Regions Science and Technology N2 - The Saturnian moon Enceladus with its extensive water bodies underneath a thick ice sheet cover is a potential candidate for extraterrestrial life. Direct exploration of such extraterrestrial aquatic ecosystems requires advanced access and sampling technologies with a high level of autonomy. A new technological approach has been developed as part of the collaborative research project Enceladus Explorer (EnEx). The concept is based upon a minimally invasive melting probe called the IceMole. The force-regulated, heater-controlled IceMole is able to travel along a curved trajectory as well as upwards. Hence, it allows maneuvers which may be necessary for obstacle avoidance or target selection. Maneuverability, however, necessitates a sophisticated on-board navigation system capable of autonomous operations. The development of such a navigational system has been the focal part of the EnEx project. The original IceMole has been further developed to include relative positioning based on in-ice attitude determination, acoustic positioning, ultrasonic obstacle and target detection integrated through a high-level sensor fusion. This paper describes the EnEx technology and discusses implications for an actual extraterrestrial mission concept. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.11.006 SN - 0165-232X IS - 123 SP - 53 EP - 70 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Blandford, Daniel A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Espe, Clemens A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Francke, Gero A1 - Hiecke, Hannah A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Lindner, Peter A1 - Plescher, Engelbert A1 - Schöngarth, Sarah T1 - Enceladus Explorer : Schlussbericht — Version: 1.0 Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2314/GBV:86319950X N1 - Förderkennzeichen BMWi 50NA1206 PB - FH Aachen CY - Aachen ER -