A mothership that emits power with a laser beam to manipulate a probe craft in deep space. A robot that extends its arms to climb in Martian caverns and grasp objects.
Sigrid Close and Marco Pavone. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero/Rod Searcey)
These are innovations you might expect to see in a science fiction movie one where the hero embarks on interplanetary travel across the solar system. But they are also are visionary ideas from the minds of Stanford University researchers that have already received funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.
As 2021 NIAC fellows, Sigrid Close and Marco Pavone both associate professors of aeronautics and astronautics are being given the chance to prove the feasibility of their inventive concepts, known as SCATTER and ReachBot. Close and Pavone are among 14 other NIAC Phase I recipients who are receiving $125,000 to fund nine-month studies on their research ideas. Though their ideas might seem out of this world, should they succeed, theyd drastically impact space exploration.
Over the course of her funding, Close is working on proving her concept SCATTER, which stands for Sustained CubeSat/CHIPSat Activity Through Transmitted Electromagnetic Radiation. The idea is that a spaceship on a mission to deep space will be able to power and control a probe with a transmitter.
SCATTER focuses on a mission to Uranus, but according to Closes collaborator Nicolas Lee, a research engineer in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, it can be applied to other deep space missions as well.
Illustration of mothership and probe subsystems in the SCATTER concept. (Image credit: Sigrid Close)
In general, small spacecraft have been powered by either solar or batteries, said Lee. But on a mission to a planet far out in the solar system, like Uranus, using the Suns rays isnt feasible. In terms of the other options with batteries, you have limited life so you can use that for very short-term missions.
By beaming a laser from the mothercraft onto a probe, which can then convert the energy from the laser into electrical energy, the team believes they can sustain long-term missions, especially with small, low mass probes.
A few years ago, we started thinking, Well, were always talking about protecting satellites from the space environment, said Close. Then, they wondered, What if we can harness some of that energy?
Even though its different from how it started, we started looking at different ways to power spacecraft using the space environment and then just kind of extended it from there, she explained.
In the coming months, Close and Lee will be working on figuring out how small and simple they can make the deployable spacecraft so that they can use the laser to not only power the spacecraft but communicate and control pointing with it.
According to Lee, the funding they receive will really allow the researchers to explore the mission concept side of SCATTER.
Its an honor, said Close. Im really grateful to NASA and the NIAC committee for giving us this opportunity.
When asked about the inspiration behind ReachBot, Andrew Bylard, a graduate student in aeronautics and astronautics who works in Pavones lab, is quick to cite an unlikely couple: Spider-Man villain Doctor Octopus and lovable Star Wars sidekick BB-8.
The idea of ReachBot was born from this kind of technological gap that exists in robotics today, said Stephanie Schneider, who is also pursuing her PhD in aeronautics and astronautics while a member of Pavones lab.
In microgravity environments like the International Space Station or when climbing under gravity on Mars or the moon, crawling robots have to grab anchor points to move and manipulate objects without floating away or falling. If anchor points are few and far between, the robots are limited by how far they can reach.
ReachBot increases its reach using extendable booms, which extend out from its sides, like measuring tape. The booms can be rolled up compactly and, when unrolled, they are sturdy cylinders with lightweight grippers on the ends which can grab objects, be used to anchor the bot to a certain point or push off of surfaces like a leg to move ReachBot around.
One compelling use for a bot like this is the exploration of Mars. While the Mars rovers are great at rolling along the surface, ReachBot would be capable of climbing on cliffs and through caves.
Right now, the team is in the early stages of working on a hardware prototype of the bot. Over the course of their NIAC Phase I funding, they plan to focus on proving the feasibility of ReachBot concept, including working with mechanical engineering professor Mark Cutkosky and geological sciences professor Mathieu Laptre to design new lightweight spiny grippers and to refine the science objectives for a climbing mission on Mars.
The biggest challenge to overcome will be working on the motion and maneuvering of ReachBots arms. But the rewards for a robot that masters mobile manipulation under such challenging gravity restraints are high.
The ultimate pay-off for space robotics is really to enable your science, said Pavone.
Not all NIAC fellows make it past Phase I. The projects are often described as high-risk, high-reward: ideas that may seem technologically out-there, but should they succeed, theyd have a huge impact on space exploration.
I think its really important that, as a community, we fund these kinds of cutting-edge ideas and take those risks, said Close, whose concept for a small satellite to characterize asteroid surfaces received NIAC Phase I funding in 2018.
Pavone, who was previously awarded a NIAC Phase I fellowship in 2011 for his concept of a hopping robot for navigating on asteroids and comets, thinks its important to have a different outlook on what failure means.
Even if we fail or in general one of these concepts fails typically what happens is that during the process you discover some other things, or some parts of the concept that you develop could be useful for other purposes, said Pavone.
So yeah, many of these concepts fail in the sense that the precise proposed mission is often never flown but if you look at the broader picture, I would actually argue that most of the concepts succeed.
To read all stories about Stanford science, subscribe to the biweeklyStanford Science Digest.
More:
Bringing sci-fi concepts to real space exploration | Stanford News - Stanford University News
- How Long Would It Take To Travel To The Nearest Star ... [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Time travel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Space tourism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: July 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 8th, 2016]
- Space Travel and Exploration [Last Updated On: July 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 25th, 2016]
- Space-A travel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2016]
- Human spaceflight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2016]
- Space Travel Facts for Kids [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2016]
- Spaceflight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2016]
- Space travel - Dune - Wikia [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2016]
- Daily Science Fiction :: Space Travel [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2016]
- SPACE TRAVEL - Fact Monster [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2016]
- Space Tourism - National Space Society [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2016]
- space travel - NYMag.com [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2016]
- Articles about Space Travel - latimes [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2016]
- Space Travel - Astronomy + Space Exploration - Leisure [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2016]
- Space travel visionaries solve the problem of interstellar slowdown at Alpha Centauri - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Humans to be FROZEN IN TIME for space travel as scientists move to COLONISE other planets - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Space flight changes astronauts' brains, research reveals - Fox News [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- A Real Life Hibernation Chamber is Being Made For Deep Space Travel - Futurism [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Is This Buzz Aldrin-Inspired Locomotive The Future Of Space Travel? - Forbes [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Space travel visionaries solve the problem of interstellar slowdown ... - Science Daily [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Space travel changes DNA, study finds - STLtoday.com [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Celestial bodies: The Kelly twins offer a vital sign for space travel - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- First results on Scott Kelly after year in space reveal space travel changes DNA - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Quantum Entanglement May Be Key To Long Distance Space Travel Ex Lockheed Exec Said It's Already Happening - Collective Evolution [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center employees safe, returning following Michoud tornado - whnt.com [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Newspaper review: Heartthrob and space travel in Wednesday's papers - BBC News [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Another View: NASA's Twins Study offers vital sign for space travel - Press Herald [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Piece of tragic shuttle history gets a second chance at space travel - WQAD.com [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Meet Shawn Pandya, The Third Indian-Origin Woman To Space-Travel - Huffington Post India [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Shawna Pandya clears the air on rumours of space travel - Daily News & Analysis [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Kelly twins offer a vital sign for space travel - San Angelo Standard Times [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Did a CSU study find that space travel makes you younger? Not so ... - The Denver Post [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- Lacoste delves into the world of space travel at New York Fashion ... - Evening Standard [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2017]
- Another Viewpoint: The Kelly twins offer a vital sign for space travel ... - Gainesville Sun [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2017]
- Starbound to revamp space travel in future update | PC Gamer - PC Gamer [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- How Does Long-Term Space Travel Affect Humans? - Voice of America [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- SPACE TRAVEL MAY CAUSE GENETIC CHANGES: STUDY - The Indian Panorama [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Two-Time Space Traveling Astronaut to Speak at Black History ... - Patriots Point [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Twins in space: intergalactic travel could change DNA - The Student [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Make space travel great again: NASA, heeding Trump, may add astronauts to a test flight moon mission - National Post [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Focus Friday: The necessity of space travel - The Daily Cougar [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- In recently unearthed essay, Winston Churchill anticipated space travel and extraterrestrial life - Washington Post [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Focus Friday: The necessity of space travel - The Daily Cougar - The Daily Cougar [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Do You Have The Right Personality For Long-Term Space Travel ... - Seeker [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Space News From SpaceDaily.Com [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Ask Ethan: How Can I Travel Through Space Without Getting Into Trouble? - Forbes [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2017]
- UK bids to be world leader in Space travel by 2020 - Daily Star [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- You could fly to SPACE from the UK within three years as plans are for space port are unveiled - The Sun [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- Cosmic cinema: spurring interest in real-life space travel? - Miami Student [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Commercial space travel could be ready as early as 2020 - New York Post [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Know before you fly: privatized space travel - Observer Online [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- This Finnish startup democratizes space travel and it just raised over 3 million to find the next 'Slumdog ... - Business Insider Nordic [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- TRAPPIST-1: How Long Would It Take to Fly to 7-Planet System? - Space.com [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Commercial space travel WITHIN THREE YEARS on flights to launch from BRITAIN - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Katherine Johnson led African American efforts in space travel ... - Farm and Dairy [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Space travel is measured in light years, but what's a light year anyway? - MyStatesman.com [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- SpaceX supply ship completes journey to space station - Spaceflight Now [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- NASA Looking for Bright Ideas to Help With Space Travel - Tech.Co [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- The black women who pioneered space travel - Channel 24 [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- SpaceX's reusable rockets make space travel much cheaper - CMU The Tartan Online [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- The history of space travel encapsulated - Fairfaxtimes.com [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- Stars align for space travel at memorable Oscars ceremony - Siliconrepublic.com [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- FSU researcher to lead US-Russia project on health, space travel - Florida State News [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Watch an astrophysicist explain how NASA's next space telescope will help us time-travel through the Universe - The Verge [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Forget SpaceX: 10 companies that will change space travel in 2017 & 2018 - Geektime [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Safe space travel: Protecting alien worlds from earthlings - and vice versa - Deutsche Welle [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Watch: 'Black Holes' A Satirical Comedy About Space Travel From Sundance 2017 - Konbini US [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Beyond Earth talking about space travel - Alaska Public Radio Network [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Doctor Launches Vision Quest To Help Astronauts' Eyeballs - NPR [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Colorado Likely To Benefit From Privatized Space Travel - CBS Local [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- NEC develops reliable FPGAs for space travel - Electronics Weekly - Electronics Weekly [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- SpaceX Moon Mission Won't Be Rich People's Joyride ... Says Space Travel Vet - TMZ.com [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- 4 Entrepreneurs Changing the Way We Think About Space Travel - Tech.Co [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- Harvard Scientists Theorize That Fast Radio Bursts Come From Alien Space Travel - Popular Mechanics [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- EDITORIAL: Exploring private space travel - Indiana Daily Student [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- Why Space Travel Can Be Absolutely Disgusting - Live Science [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- More Evidence for How a Trip to Mars Will Wreck the Human Body - Inverse [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- MIT Conference To Focus On Space Travel For The Public - CBS Boston / WBZ [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2017]
- The AstroRad Radiation Shield: The New Protective Vest for Deep Space - TrendinTech [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]