NASA, Canadian and German Space Agency Tests in Hawaii
Newswire Services
January 16, 2010
Albany, OR -- PISCES, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems at the University of Hawaii – Hilo, is playing a significant role in the space program, providing a lunar-like setting for international collaboration on future space missions.
PISCES will bring together teams from NASA and the German and Canadian space agencies to a research and testing site on Hawaii's volcanic soil, which closely resembles the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. Here, they will test technology that will help astronauts live off the land, manufacture their own oxygen, and survive for long periods of time in space. Over a dozen projects will be involved, featuring rovers, lasers, drills, solar arrays and oxygen-making technology. There will also be training exercises in space medicine. College students from Hawaii and Canada will support many of the tests.
"While the timeline for human space missions may change, the need to prepare now is essential, and international cooperation in this arena will benefit everyone," said Dr. Frank Schowengerdt, PISCES Director
PISCES will host the field tests on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, at a site approved by the State of Hawai`i and supported by a community-based Cultural Advisory Committee. PISCES also will work with participating agencies to ensure the return of the site to its original state following the tests.
"While the timeline for human space missions may change, the need to prepare now is essential, and all countries involved will benefit from working together," said Dr. Frank Schowengerdt, PISCES Director and former head of NASA´s Research Partnership Centers at universities throughout the U.S.
"The Big Island of Hawaii, with its surface of ash and rocks, provides a great environment for testing equipment that astronauts will need on the Moon, Mars and other destinations in space; and we want the PISCES site to serve as a resource for scientists from all over the world to come and work together on space technology," Schowengerdt said.
At the PISCES tests, a team of rovers will actually build a spacecraft landing pad. The rovers will "communicate" and work together to construct the landing pad. Another project, features a system that detects water and oxygen that can be extracted from the soil and stored. This system operates on two rovers; the first one provides the drill, crusher and chemistry plant, and the second one carries the power and electronics.
Scientists will drill and analyze rocks and dirt at the test site, then use a solar concentrator to melt this material down into a smooth substance that can be used on a landing pad or on roadways. NASA will test a process that extracts oxygen from the lunar-like soil in the form of water or carbon monoxide, then recycles the reactants and stores the oxygen.
The German Space Agency (DLR) will test a system that uses a mechanical mole to dig down several meters beneath the surface and has sensors that provide measurements. Its scientists will also test a specialized rover with wheels that allow the rover to move sideways, like a crab, on rocky terrain.
In addition to space agencies, companies conducting tests include the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology, Inc. (NORCAT), Virgin Technologies Inc., Xiphos Technologies, Inc., Electric Vehicle Controllers Ltd. (EVC), Neptec Design Group, Ontario Drive and Gear Ltd. (ODG), University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), Orbitec, and Honeybee Robotics.
PISCES has arranged for speakers from NASA and other agencies to visit Hawaii schools. PISCES also has lined up a teacher workshop on the free, web-based education program, www.SpaceClass.org, to be held at the Institute for Astronomy Auditorium in the UH-Hilo Campus Technology Park.
PISCES will bring together teams from NASA and the German and Canadian space agencies to a research and testing site on Hawaii's volcanic soil, which closely resembles the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. Here, they will test technology that will help astronauts live off the land, manufacture their own oxygen, and survive for long periods of time in space. Over a dozen projects will be involved, featuring rovers, lasers, drills, solar arrays and oxygen-making technology. There will also be training exercises in space medicine. College students from Hawaii and Canada will support many of the tests.
"While the timeline for human space missions may change, the need to prepare now is essential, and international cooperation in this arena will benefit everyone," said Dr. Frank Schowengerdt, PISCES Director
PISCES will host the field tests on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, at a site approved by the State of Hawai`i and supported by a community-based Cultural Advisory Committee. PISCES also will work with participating agencies to ensure the return of the site to its original state following the tests.
"While the timeline for human space missions may change, the need to prepare now is essential, and all countries involved will benefit from working together," said Dr. Frank Schowengerdt, PISCES Director and former head of NASA´s Research Partnership Centers at universities throughout the U.S.
"The Big Island of Hawaii, with its surface of ash and rocks, provides a great environment for testing equipment that astronauts will need on the Moon, Mars and other destinations in space; and we want the PISCES site to serve as a resource for scientists from all over the world to come and work together on space technology," Schowengerdt said.
At the PISCES tests, a team of rovers will actually build a spacecraft landing pad. The rovers will "communicate" and work together to construct the landing pad. Another project, features a system that detects water and oxygen that can be extracted from the soil and stored. This system operates on two rovers; the first one provides the drill, crusher and chemistry plant, and the second one carries the power and electronics.
Scientists will drill and analyze rocks and dirt at the test site, then use a solar concentrator to melt this material down into a smooth substance that can be used on a landing pad or on roadways. NASA will test a process that extracts oxygen from the lunar-like soil in the form of water or carbon monoxide, then recycles the reactants and stores the oxygen.
The German Space Agency (DLR) will test a system that uses a mechanical mole to dig down several meters beneath the surface and has sensors that provide measurements. Its scientists will also test a specialized rover with wheels that allow the rover to move sideways, like a crab, on rocky terrain.
In addition to space agencies, companies conducting tests include the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology, Inc. (NORCAT), Virgin Technologies Inc., Xiphos Technologies, Inc., Electric Vehicle Controllers Ltd. (EVC), Neptec Design Group, Ontario Drive and Gear Ltd. (ODG), University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), Orbitec, and Honeybee Robotics.
PISCES has arranged for speakers from NASA and other agencies to visit Hawaii schools. PISCES also has lined up a teacher workshop on the free, web-based education program, www.SpaceClass.org, to be held at the Institute for Astronomy Auditorium in the UH-Hilo Campus Technology Park.
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