October 25, 2021: "Mars, Venus, and Pluto – Oh My! Alternative Robotic Strategies for Exploring the Solar System"
- October 25, 2021
- 4:00 p.m.
- Dr. Jamey D. Jacobs, Oklahoma State University
- Faculty Host: Craig Woolsey
Abstract: Traditional approaches to interplanetary exploration are being challenged through the introduction of flying vehicles such as Ingenuity on Mars and Dragonfly on Titan, currently under development. These systems will usher in a new era of interplanetary exploration. However, current rotary wing designs are limiting for locations such as Mars and impossible elsewhere for various reasons. For example, on planets such as Venus, where the surface pressure and temperature can reach as high as 90 atmospheres and 450 degrees Celsius respectively, placing any type of vehicle on the planet’s surface poses a serious technological challenge. This talk will explore options for expanding the role of aerial platforms for operation on other planets, namely Mars, Venus, and Pluto, particularly using soft goods approaches. On Mars, we will investigate the use of deployable wing technology to develop fixed wing aircraft to explore the red plant. This will allow greater ranges and flight times from which both robotic and human explorers can extend their reach. Inflatable wings are one design option here and we will present results from both low and high altitude analog testing on Earth. On Venus, while the surface levels are hellish, the upper layers of the Venusian atmosphere are more benign and capable of hosting concepts for much longer mission lifetime. Working with JPL and Sandia National Laboratories we are in the process of developing technologies for detection of infrasonic waves generated by seismic activity on Venus from a solar balloon platform. We will discuss the balloon and payload concept and recent campaign to develop solar balloons and infrasound as a remote sensing tool on Venus and the use of the Earth as a planetary analog for developing this technology. The outer solar system provides a unique challenge due to the large delta V required for orbital insertion. We discuss a concept for entry, descent, and landing (EDL) utilizing and Enveloping Aerodynamic Decelerators (EAD). The general system design and its advantages are discussed along with an analysis of its mission applications from reentry of small Earth probes to landers of Kuiper Belt Objects such as Pluto and Triton.
Bio: Jamey Jacob is the Director and Founder of the OSU Unmanned Systems Research Institute at Oklahoma State University with over $20M of external research funding. He received his B.S in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He was a National Research Council Summer Faculty Fellow in the Air Force Research Laboratory and received the SAE Ralph Teetor Award, the Lockheed Martin Teaching Award, and both the OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards, among other teaching and mentoring awards. He is a native of Oklahoma and dedicates much of his efforts to serving the land-grant mission, including K-12 STEM education, workforce development, and increasing diversity in engineering and science.