Refine
Document Type
- Article (3)
- Conference Proceeding (3)
- Part of a Book (1)
Language
- English (7) (remove)
Keywords
- Eisschicht (3)
- Sonde (3)
- Antarctic Glaciology (1)
- Autofluoreszenzverfahren (1)
- Extraterrestrial Glaciology (1)
- Glaciological instruments and methods (1)
- Lichtstreuungsbasierte Instrumente (1)
- Subclacial exploration (1)
- Subglacial lakes (1)
- autofluorescence-based detection system (1)
- light scattering analysis (1)
- subglacial aquatic ecosystems (1)
- subsurface ice (1)
- subsurface ice research (1)
- subsurface probe (1)
Institute
- Fachbereich Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik (7) (remove)
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.