<p>The Lunar Rover (Roony) is a robotic project group at Mälardalens University composed by students. The objective of this group is to design and build an autonomous robot that has to be able to move by itself through the moon terrain.</p><p>The Lunar Rover is divided in several sub-projects from different knowledge areas; the objective of this electronic thesis is to design a controller board.</p><p> </p><p>The designed board will be able to connect the robot to an external dispositive (via JTAG, or WIFI), and also it will control and connect the different robot’s peripherals.</p><p>The main component of the controller board is the microcontroller AT90CAN128.</p><p>The peripherals are a steeper motor, a LIDAR system (Light Detection And Ranging), a WIFI chip(WIPORT™), a bus can driver, an accelerometer, a LIPO( Lithium-Ion Polymer) battery charger, a Solar photovoltaic cell handler, and sixteen DC motors(four in each leg of the robot).</p><p>Once the logic design has finished, the PCB design is done attending the size limitations of the robot. Once the design has finished, a prototype has been built and tested using ATMEL software.</p>

Using a two-dimensional hybrid simulation, we study the physics of the interaction of the solar wind with a localized magnetic field concentration, or “magcon,” on the Moon. Our simulation treats the solar wind protons kinetically and the electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. This approach is necessary because the characteristic scale of the magcon is of the same order or smaller than the proton inertial length—the characteristic scale in the hybrid simulation. Specifically, we consider a case in which the incident solar wind flows exactly normal to the lunar surface, and the magcon is represented by a simple dipole whose moment is parallel to the surface, with a center just below it. We find that while the magcon causes the solar wind to be deflected and decelerated, it does not completely shield the lunar surface anywhere. However, protons which impact the surface in the center of the magnetic anomaly have energies well below the solar wind ram energy. Thus, in this region, any backscattered neutral particles resulting from the interaction of solar wind protons with the lunar regolith would have energies lower than that of the solar wind. Moreover, very few neutrals, if any, would emanate from within the magcon with energies comparable to the solar wind energy. This may explain recent observations of lunar energetic neutral atoms associated with a strong crustal magnetic anomaly. Our study also finds that a significant fraction of the incoming solar wind protons are reflected back into space before reaching the surface. These particles are reflected by a strong electrostatic field which results from the difference in the proton and electron inertia. The reflected particles are seen at very high altitudes above the Moon, over 200 km, and over a much broader spatial scale than the magcon, several hundred kilometers at least. Our simulation also revealed a second population of reflected particles which originate from the side of the magcon where the interplanetary and magcon magnetic fields are directed opposite to one another, leading to a magnetic topology much like magnetic reconnection. As previously reflected particles move through this region, they are deflected upward, away from the surface, forming a second component. Our simulation has a number of similarities to recent in situ spacecraft observations of reflected ions above and around magcons.

Previous work has shown that the strongest concentrations of lunar crustal magnetic anomalies are located antipodal to four large, similarly aged impact basins (Orientale, Serenitatis, Imbrium, and Crisium). Here, we report results of a correlation study between magnetic anomaly clusters and geology in areas antipodal to Imbrium, Orientale, and Crisium. Unusual geologic terranes, interpreted to be of seismic or ejecta origin associated with the antipodal basins, have been mapped antipodal to both Orientale and Imbrium. All three antipode regions have many high-albedo swirl markings. Results indicate that both of the unusual antipode terranes and Mare Ingenii (antipodal to Imbrium) show a correlation with high-magnitude crustal magnetic anomalies. A statistical correlation between all geologic units and regions of medium to high magnetization when high-albedo features are present (antipodal to Orientale) may suggest a deep, possibly seismic origin to the anomalies. However, previous studies have provided strong evidence that basin ejecta units are the most likely sources of lunar crustal anomalies, and there is currently insufficient evidence to differentiate between an ejecta or seismic origin for the antipodal anomalies. Results indicate a strong correlation between the high-albedo markings and regions of high magnetization for the Imbrium, Orientale, and Crisium antipodes. Combined with growing evidence for an Imbrian age to the magnetic anomalies, this supports a solar wind deflection origin for the lunar swirls.

The research project describes the key mission and systems engineering trade-offs involved in the end-to-end design of an orbiting mission to the Moon, using a "Smaller, Faster, Cheaper" mission approach. This approach is extended to enable the design of a new payload - within the management, cost, schedule, and physical constraints - of the low cost lunar orbiter mission. The payload is designed to image the Moon's permanently dark regions that are believed to contain water ice. To determine the best cost reduction management and engineering approach, the principles for reducing space mission cost are examined and planetary missions are assessed in terms of cost and risk drivers. 'Interplanetary' trajectories and attaining orbit around another body are shown to be the major risk areas encountered by traditional planetary missions. In addition to this, programme management is highlighted as an emerging high risk area for smaller, faster cheaper planetary missions. The preliminary mission design, covering lunar transfer, spacecraft and ground station is described. A 400 kg, three-axis stabilised, lunar orbiter, capable of delivering 20 kg of payload into a low lunar polar orbit is designed. The ground segment comprises one (possibly two) low cost ground stations, linked via the Internet. Images, raw data and telemetry can also be accessed via the Internet. The design-to-launch timeframe spans three years and the total mission cost target of $20 Million is met. The spacecraft is compatible with a range of existing lunar payloads, but the prime mission requirement will be to return images of the Moon's permanently dark craters for the first time. In order to design a low cost payload for imaging the Moon's permanently dark regions, the areas likely to contain the water ice are first characterised. The best and worst case lighting conditions for imaging are then calculated for these regions. The amount of light reaching a crater floor is a function of the crater depth-diameter ratio, solar irradiance incidence angle and local topography. The limiting case is shown to be imaging under starlight illumination only, which is modelled and estimated between 5 to 10µW/m2 over the 350 to 900 nm spectral band. These ultra-low light level conditions have led to identification and evaluation of several solutions in terms of both signal-tonoise ratio performance and development within the constraints of the smaller, faster, cheaper programme. This is achieved using a charge coupled device (CCD) camera employing a commercial sensor and optics. Large format Charge Injection Devices and Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductors (Active Pixel Devices) were identified as promising emerging technologies. The baseline low light level imager solution is a CCD array operated in Time Delay Integration mode in order to provide optical images from areas within permanent shadow. An intensified CCD offers a back up solution. The research demonstrates that a low cost lunar mission is technically feasible and additionally, that it is possible to meet a specific (if modest) application target through `smaller, faster, cheaper' payload design. It provides an approach that meets key challenges of planetary exploration at very low cost that can potentially be applied to other near Earth targets.

abstract: Previous workers hypothesized that lunar Localized Pyroclastic Deposits (LPDs) represent products of vulcanian-style eruptions, since some have low proportions of juvenile material. The objective of the first study is to determine how juvenile composition, calculated using deposit and vent volumes, varies among LPDs. I used Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Narrow Angle Camera (LROC NAC) digital terrain models (DTMs) to generate models of pre-eruption surfaces for 23 LPDs and subtracted them from the NAC DTMs to calculate deposit and vent volumes. Results show that LPDs have a wide range of juvenile compositions and thinning profiles, and that there is a positive relationship between juvenile material proportion and deposit size. These findings indicate there is greater diversity among LPDs than previously understood, and that a simple vulcanian eruption model may only apply to the smallest deposits. There is consensus that martian outflow channels were formed by catastrophic flooding events, yet many of these channels exhibit lava flow features issuing from the same source as the eroded channels, leading some authors to suggest that lava may have served as their sole agent of erosion. This debate is addressed in two studies that use Context Camera images for photogeologic analysis, geomorphic mapping, and cratering statistics: (1) A study of Mangala Valles showing that it underwent at least two episodes of fluvial activity and at least three episodes of volcanic activity during the Late Amazonian, consistent with alternating episodes of flooding and volcanism. (2) A study of Maja Valles finds that it is thinly draped in lava flows sourced from Lunae Planum to the west, rendering it analogous to the lava-coated Elysium outflow systems. However, the source of eroded channels in Maja Valles is not the source of the its lava flows, which instead issue from south Lunae Planum. The failure of these lava flows to generate any major channels along their path suggests that the channels of Maja Valles are not lava-eroded. Finally, I describe a method of locating sharp edges in out-of-focus images for application to automated trajectory control systems that use images from fixed-focus cameras to determine proximity to a target. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geological Sciences 2018

This thesis is issued in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. JPL's primary function is the construction and operation of robotic planetary spacecraft. At the time being JPL has 22 spacecraft and 10 instruments conducting active missions. The "Dark Ages" represent the last frontier in cosmology, the era between the genesis of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the formation of the first stars. During the Dark Ages, when the Universe was unlit by any star, the only detectable signal is likely to be that from neutral hydrogen (HI). The HI absorption occurs in dark matter-dominated overdensities, locations that will later become the birthplaces of the first stars. Tracing this evolution will provide crucial insights into the properties of dark matter and potentially reveal aspects of cosmic inflation. This could be accomplished using a radio telescope located on the far side of the Moon, the only site in the solar system shielded from human-generated interference and, at night, from solar radio emissions. Our objective has been the development of the concept of an autonomous rover that would be capable of deploying a large number of low frequency radio antennas on the lunar surface. This is an enabling task for the eventual creation of a radio telescope. The project at Halmstad University was divided into three sub-projects, where our area of responsibility has been the development of a concept of the rover's mobility system. The result of the project is the concept of a "Rocker-Bogie" suspension system, created in a 3D-environment. A concept which underwent a series of digital analyses and simulations to ensure the compliance with required specifications. / Detta examensarbete är utfört i samarbete med Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) i Pasadena, Kalifornien. JPL's primära funktion är konstruktion och drift av robotiserade rymdfarkoster. För tillfället har JPL 22 rymdfarkoster och 10 instrument i aktiva uppdrag. Den "mörka tiden" representerar den sista utposten i kosmologi, eran mellan uppkomsten av den kosmiska bakgrundsstrålningen (CMB) och bildandet av de första stjärnorna. Under den "mörka tiden", när universum inte var upplyst av någon stjärna, var den enda detekterbara signalen sannolikt från neutralt väte (HI). HI-absorptionen sker i mörk materia-dominerade överdensiteter, platser som senare blir födelseplatserna för de första stjärnorna. Att spåra denna utveckling kommer att ge viktiga insikter i egenskaperna hos mörk materia och eventuellt ge information om universums expansion. Detta kan åstadkommas med hjälp av ett radioteleskop på baksidan av månen. Den enda platsen i vårt solsystem avskärmad från störningar från jorden, och på natten även från solens strålning. Vår uppgift har varit att utveckla ett koncept på en autonom rover som ska placera ut ett stort antal lågfrekvensantenner på månytan. Detta är ett nödvändigt steg för det eventuella anläggandet av ett radioteleskop. Projektet vid Högskolan i Halmstad delades upp i tre delprojekt, där vårt ansvarsområde har varit att utveckla ett koncept för roverns drivsystem. Resultatet av projektet ett koncept på ett "Rocker-Bogie"-hjulupphängningssystem, skapad i en 3D-miljö. Ett koncept som har genomgått en serie av digitala analyser och simuleringar för att säkerställa överensstämmelse med krav och önskemål.

The Lunar Rover (Roony) is a robotic project group at Mälardalens University composed by students. The objective of this group is to design and build an autonomous robot that has to be able to move by itself through the moon terrain. The Lunar Rover is divided in several sub-projects from different knowledge areas; the objective of this electronic thesis is to design a controller board.   The designed board will be able to connect the robot to an external dispositive (via JTAG, or WIFI), and also it will control and connect the different robot’s peripherals. The main component of the controller board is the microcontroller AT90CAN128. The peripherals are a steeper motor, a LIDAR system (Light Detection And Ranging), a WIFI chip(WIPORT™), a bus can driver, an accelerometer, a LIPO( Lithium-Ion Polymer) battery charger, a Solar photovoltaic cell handler, and sixteen DC motors(four in each leg of the robot). Once the logic design has finished, the PCB design is done attending the size limitations of the robot. Once the design has finished, a prototype has been built and tested using ATMEL software.

The shell weight and abundance of planktonic foraminifera, together with seawater parameters, collected from area off the Southern Taiwan were analyzed in this study. Plankton tows were conducted between April 2006 and December 2011 at water depths of 50, 100, 150, and 200 m. In addition, five sediment trap moorings and one box core were sampled at the same area. Globigerinoides sacculifer was picked for counting numbers and measuring weight from towed samples and core sediments. For seawater samples, dissolved inorganic carbon was analyzed. The age model of sediment core was determined based on the excess lead-210. The seasonal variation of planktonic foraminifera abundance is not obvious in the Gao-ping submarine canyon regime. The shell abundance decreases as the depth increases. Furthermore, the relationship between shell abundance and lunar cycle can be observed from the sediment trap moorings. Shell abundance reaches its maximum before full moon. The sea surface is dominated with larger shells at night than daytime. Shell abundance and size are closely related with the optima growth environmental parameters than anything else. The foraminiferal shell weight is not so different between winter, summer, and autumn. But in spring the shell weight is the lightest among all. Based on the foraminiferal shell weight and the corresponding seawater carbonate ion concentration obtained from this study, it is not easy to explain the relationship between both. Shell weight in downcore record was lighter after A.D. 1890, which probably was caused by the acidification of seawater resulted from the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DXN024724.

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