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![]() by Staff Writers Washington DC (SPX) Jun 12, 2019
Robotically surveying lunar craters in record time and mining resources in space could help NASA establish a sustained human presence at the Moon - part of the agency's broader Moon to Mars exploration approach. Two mission concepts to explore these capabilities have been selected as the first-ever Phase III studies within the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. "We are pursuing new technologies across our development portfolio that could help make deep space exploration more Earth-independent by utilizing resources on the Moon and beyond," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. "These NIAC Phase III selections are a component of that forward-looking research and we hope new insights will help us achieve more firsts in space." The Phase III proposals outline an aerospace architecture, including a mission concept, that is innovative and could change what's possible in space. Each selection will receive as much as $2 million. Over the course of two years, researchers will refine the concept design and explore aspects of implementing the new technology. The inaugural Phase III selections are:
Robotic Technologies Enabling the Exploration of Lunar Pits The information could also be used to characterize ice on the Moon, a crucial capability for the sustained surface operations of NASA's Artemis program. On Earth, the technology could be used to autonomously monitor mines and quarries.
Mini Bee Prototype to Demonstrate the Apis Mission Architecture and Optical Mining Technology NASA selected the Phase III proposals through a review process that evaluated innovativeness and technical viability of the proposed projects. All projects still are in the early stages of development, but this final phase is designed to mature technologies so they can be transitioned to government and industry for implementation. "This is the first year NASA offered a NIAC Phase III opportunity, and there were many strong proposals," said Jason Derleth, NIAC program executive. "We selected two proposals because we think both of the technologies could positively impact the industry. We are excited that these technology concepts could help humanity explore space in new ways." The NIAC program supports visionary research ideas through multiple progressive phases of study. While NIAC will award two 2019 Phase III studies, the program expects to award one Phase III per year in subsequent years. NIAC partners with forward-thinking scientists, engineers and citizen inventors from across the nation to help maintain America's leadership in air and space. NIAC is funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the cross-cutting, pioneering new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon within five years, NASA's lunar exploration plans are based on a two-phase approach: the first is focused on speed - landing on the Moon by 2024 - while the second will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We then will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars. Related reports Phase II study report - Cavehopping and II study report - Sustainable Human Exploration.
![]() ![]() Army project develops agile scouting robots Research Triangle Park NC (SPX) Jun 03, 2019 In a research project for the U.S. Army, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley developed an agile robot, called Salto that looks like a Star Wars Imperial walker in miniature and may be able to aid in scouting and search-and-rescue operations. Robots like this may one day be used to save lives of both warfighters and civilians, researchers said. Topping out at less than a foot, Salto, which stands for saltatorial (leaping like a grasshopper) locomotion on terrain obstacles, n ... read more
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