ITC/USA 2014 Conference Proceedings / The Fiftieth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 20-23, 2014 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, CA / This paper discusses the rover engagement display (RED), an application that integrates network communication, control systems, numerical and visual analysis of telemetry, and a graphical user interface for communicating with the embedded systems of a remote vehicle. The target vehicle is a wheeled rover participating in the University Rover Challenge, a competition that observes the performance of rovers in an environment similar to that of the planet Mars. Communication with the rover occurs via a TCP connection and messages adhere to a simple protocol. The RED user interface is visually modular in an attempt to provide additional scalability and extensibility. Control algorithms, user interface design concepts, and code architecture (C#) are discussed.

Existing techniques measure soil moisture either at a point or over a large area many kilometers across. To bridge these two scales, we used the mobile cosmic-ray probe, or cosmic-ray rover, an instrument similar to the recently developed COSMOS probe, but bigger and mobile. This study explores the challenges and opportunities for making maps of soil moisture over large areas using the cosmic-ray rover. In 2012, soil moisture was mapped 22 times in a 25 km x 40 km survey area of the Tucson Basin at 1 km² resolution, i.e., at a scale comparable to that of a pixel for the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission. The soil moisture distribution is influenced mainly by climatic variations, notably by the North American monsoon, which resulted in a systematic change in the regional variance as a function of the mean soil moisture.

2030 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory will place an interferometer, which will workas a radio telescope, on the far side of the Moon. The interferometer uses thinpolyamide films as antennas, which are rolled out by a rover (an autonomousvehicle). The thesis covers concept generation of the propulsion and steering systemof the rover.The interferometer is to be placed on the far side of the Moon in order to ensure, asfar as possible, that it is not effected by radiation from Earth. The interferometerconsists of several polyamide films, approximately 100 meters long and one meterwide. The films are to be connected in the middle in order to form a star pattern offilm. Since the rover is to roll out these films on the surface of the Moon, it will driveback and forth to the lander to pick up the rolls. The focus in the project has been todevelop a reliable and stable system as possible so that the rover can accomplish itsmission without malfunctions. The purpose with the interferometer is to map thehydrogen gas clouds which were formed during universe’s youth (Platt, 2008).The outcome of this project is a concept indicating what the most optimal design ofwheel mount, of motor mount, of wheel and steering design may be in order to steerthe rover. The method to generate concepts used is known Fredy Olsson’s method.This is a method that has been developed at Lunds University and it has been widelyused in engineering education at Halmstad University.The four concepts developed and contributes to the whole concept for propulsion andsteering system of the rover. The four concepts developed are an all six steering, allof the six wheels can be controlled individually. Each wheel is split, or divided intwo. The motor is angle mounted and the wheel is semi-open with a slope that makesthe Moon dust fall out if it comes inside.Inspiration from previous rovers which are or have been on the Moon and Mars hasbeen useful in generating concepts. Previously used concepts are stable and reliable,which are important factors in this project. Previous theses have come to theconclusion that the chassis of the rover should be the one similar to the one used onMars Science Laboratory Curiosity and Mars Exploration Rover’s Spirit andOpportunity.The Halmstad University projects in collaboration with NASA began at HalmstadUniversity in 2013, and previous projects have developed the chassis, energy systemand the deployment mechanism of the rover. This year’s project takes intoconsideration the results from previous years since a concept of a complete roverultimately is going to be presented to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.The thesis is done in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory inCalifornia, USA. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the leading U.S. center forrobotic exploration of the solar system. / NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory ska 2030 placera en interferometer på månensbaksida, interferometern ska fungera som ett radioteleskop. Interferometern användersig av tunna polyamidfilmer som antenner. Dessa ska rullas ut på månens yta av enrover (ett obemannat fordon). Rapporten behandlar framtagning av koncept förstyrning och framdrivning av denna rover.Interferometern ska placeras på månens baksida för att man i så stor mån som möjligtvill undkomma strålningsstörningar från Jorden. Interferometern ska bestå av flertaletpolyamidfilmer, ca 100 meter långa och en meter breda. Filmerna skasammankopplas i en kontrollenhet som finns i mitten av det stjärnformade mönsterfilmerna läggs i. Då rovern ska placera ut dessa filmer på månens yta, ska den skaköra från och till landaren för att hämta upp rullarna. Fokus i projektet har varit attgöra ett så pålitligt stabilt system som möjligt för att rovern ska klara av att slutförasitt uppdrag utan driftstörningar. Med interferometern vill man sedan kartläggavätgasmoln som bildades i universums ungdom (Platt, 2008).Resultatet av projektet är ett koncept som visar roverns framdrivnings- ochstyrsystem, hjulupphängning, motorplacering samt hur hjuldesignen kan se ut. FredyOlssons metoder har använts för att ta fram koncept som uppfyller krav och önskemåldå denna metod har använts tidigare under utbildningen.De fyra koncept som bidrar till ett koncept för hela styr- och framdrivningssystem ärstyrning och framdrivning på roverns alla sex hjul, hjulen är designade på så vis att deär delade i två. Motorn är vinkelmonterad. Roverns hjul är semi-öppna med en kantsom är högre än det djup hjulet sjunker ner i månytan., med en sluttning inuti för attsand och damm ska rinna ut.Inspiration har kommit från tidigare rovrar som varit/är aktiva på månen och Mars dådet är beprövade koncept som visat sig vara stabila och pålitliga. Tidigareexamensarbeten har kommit fram till att det chassi som ska användas är snarlikt detsom använts på Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity och Mars Exploration Rover’sSpirit och Opportunity.Projektet började på Högskolan i Halmstad 2013 och tidigare projekt har tittat påbland annat chassit, energisystem och utplaceringsenheten. Årets projekt har tagithänsyn till resultat från tidigare år, för att ett koncept på en hel rover slutligen skakunna visas upp för NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Examensarbetet är genomfört i samarbete med NASA:s Jet Propulsion Laboratory iKalifornien, USA, vilka är USA:s center för robotisk utforskning av solsystemet.

This thesis is a continuation of last year's work and it builds on earlier construction of a rover that will deploy an interferometer on the far side of the moon. The project is done in collaboration with (JPL) Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin Pasadena, California. Given the size of the mission, accuracy and time limit project has been split into several smaller projects. The areas that are the focus of this project are the suspension and the transition system. The transition system that is originated from the stage when the rover transforms from the transit mode to ready mode, and the suspension system, are in this thesis work presented by detailed conceptual design. The next step, not mentioned this thesis work, will be to perform aprimary structure design on the details. The project owner’s ultimate goal is to create a better understanding about the origins of the universe and its continual changing. This would give scientists an opportunity to study some of the most fundamental questions that are still are waiting for answers. Together with a group of energy engineers, Gustav Andersson and Emil Ericsson, we were caught by the very attractive project assignment, well aware that not many people get the chance or the opportunity to be involved or work with projects like this.

The intent of this thesis is to explore the pressure-sinkage relationship for simulated lunar regolith (simulant). The simulants used in this experiment emulate the lunar highlands (LHS-1) and the lunar mare (LMS-1). The ultimate ability of a terrain or regolith to support a load without shear failure is vital to the planning and construction of permanent infrastructure. This relationship can be measured by applying a normal load to the regolith until shear failure, from which allowable and ultimate bearing capacity can be deduced. An understanding of the pressure-sinkage of lighter loads on the higher ‘fluffy' layer of regolith is of great importance to low mass projects. The experimental hardware consisted of a test bed filled with simulated lunar regolith. The focus was to create a mechanism to apply a known load to a simulant surface normal to a square box filled with a regolith simulant. A known mass of each simulant was placed into the bearing capacity box and gently agitated to encourage natural settling and the density was measured. The simulant was only packed as much as was caused by gravity and settling. Normal loads of increasing weight were put into the box, putting pressure on the simulant. It was determined that widely accepted models for pressure-sinkage reasonably anticipate sinkage in both LHS-1 and LMS-1, though this study recommends improvements to the experimental design.

No description available.

The 2012 Decadal Survey has stated that there is a critical role for a Venus In-situ Explore (VISE) missions to a variety of important sites, specifically the Tessera terrain. This work aims to answer the Decadal Survey's call by developing a new comprehensive Entry, Descent, Landing, and Locomotion (EDLL) vehicle for in-situ exploration of Venus, especially in the Tessera regions. TANDEM, the Tension Adjustable Network for Deploying Entry Membrane, is a new planetary probe concept in which all of EDLL is achieved by a single multifunctional tensegrity structure. The concept uses same fundamental concept as the ADEPT (Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology) deployable heat shield but replaces the standard internal structure with the structure from the tensegrity-actuated rover to provide a combined aeroshell and rover design. The tensegrity system implemented by TANDEM reduces the mass of the overall system while enabling surface locomotion and mitigating risk associated with landing in the rough terrain of Venus's Tessera regions, which is otherwise nearly inaccessible to surface missions. TANDEM was compared to other state-of-the-art lander designs for an in-situ mission to Venus. It was shown that TANDEM provides the same scientific experimentation capabilities that were proposed for the VITaL mission, with a combined mass reduction for the aeroshell and lander of 52% (1445 kg), while eliminating the identified risks associated with entry loads and very rough terrain. Additionally, TANDEM provides locomotion when on the surface as well as a host of other maneuvers during entry and descent, which was not present in the VITaL design. Based on its unique multifunctional infrastructure and excellent crashworthiness for impact on rough surfaces, TANDEM presents a robust system to address some of the Decadal Survey's most pressing questions about Venus. / Ph. D.

This research will investigate the problem of position estimation for planetary rovers. Diverse algorithmic filters are available for collecting input data and transforming that data to useful information for the purpose of position estimation process. The terrain has sandy soil which might cause slipping of the robot, and small stones and pebbles which can affect trajectory. The Kalman Filter, a state estimation algorithm was used for fusing the sensor data to improve the position measurement of the rover. For the rover application the locomotion and errors accumulated by the rover is compensated by the Kalman Filter. The movement of a rover in a rough terrain is challenging especially with limited sensors to tackle the problem. Thus, an initiative was taken to test drive the rover during the field trial and expose the mobile platform to hard ground and soft ground(sand). It was found that the LSV system produced speckle image and values which proved invaluable for further research and for the implementation of data fusion. During the field trial,It was also discovered that in a at hard surface the problem of the steering rover is minimal. However, when the rover was under the influence of soft sand the rover tended to drift away and struggled to navigate. This research introduced the laser speckle velocimetry as an alternative for odometric measurement. LSV data was gathered during the field trial to further simulate under MATLAB, which is a computational/mathematical programming software used for the simulation of the rover trajectory. The wheel encoders came with associated errors during the position measurement process. This was observed during the earlier field trials too. It was also discovered that the Laser Speckle Velocimetry measurement was able to measure accurately the position measurement but at the same time sensitivity of the optics produced noise which needed to be addressed as error problem. Though the rough terrain is found in Mars, this paper is applicable to a terrestrial robot on Earth. There are regions in Earth which have rough terrains and regions which are hard to measure with encoders. This is especially true concerning icy places like Antarctica, Greenland and others. The proposed implementation for the development of the locomotion system is to model a system for the position estimation through the use of simulation and collecting data using the LSV. Two simulations are performed, one is the differential drive of a two wheel robot and the second involves the fusion of the differential drive robot data and the LSV data collected from the rover testbed. The results have been positive. The expected contributions from the research work includes a design of a LSV system to aid the locomotion measurement system. Simulation results show the effect of different sensors and velocity of the robot. The kalman filter improves the position estimation process.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of gas turbines in central receiver solar power plant cycles has become an increasingly popular research topic. This has led to the need to investigate and analyse the effect of the solar receiver on the gas turbine cycle. The aim of this thesis is to construct an experimental gas turbine setup to accommodate further research on utilizing solar energy to power gas turbines. The gas turbine under consideration is the Rover Gas Turbines 1S/60. The focus of this investigation is the centrifugal compressor of the gas turbine. An increase in static pressure is required for the gas turbine to cope with anticipated pressure drops in the central receiver that will be part of the gas turbine cycle. The standard compressor design is analysed by means of 3-D (CFD) analysis using CFX® and experimental data. The new centrifugal compressor is designed by means of 1-D and 3-D (CFD) analysis using CompAero and CFX®. The aim is to design a compressor that maximizes the total-to-static pressure ratio. The size of the compressor is highly constrained by the geometry parameters of the gas turbine. Since the turbine rotor will remain unchanged, the power input, mass flow rate and rotational speed must stay the same. The experimental setup was build and the numerical results of the standard compressor were validated against the experimental results. A new centrifugal compressor was designed. The total-to-static pressure ratio was increased from 2.50 to 3.30 at an operating speed of 46 krpm. The efficiency of the compressor was improved from 63.8% to 85.6%. The input power of the new compressor design deviated 1.6% from the set benchmark, and 1.3% from the numerical data of the standard compressor. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van gasturbines in sonkragstasiesiklusse met ’n sentrale ontvanger het gegroei tot ’n gewilde navorsingsonderwerp. Dit het gelei tot die behoefte om die effek van die sonontvanger op die gasturbinesiklus te ondersoek en te analiseer. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om ’n eksperimentele gasturbine opstelling te bou vir verdere navorsing oor die benutting van sonenergie om ’n gasturbine aan te dryf. Die gasturbine in oorweging is die Rover Gas Turbines 1S/60. Die fokus van hierdie ondersoek is die sentrifugale kompressor van die gasturbine. ’n Toename in statiese druk word benodig vir die gasturbine om die verwagte drukverlies in die sentrale ontvanger, wat deel uit maak van die gasturbinesiklus, te hanteer. Die standaard kompressor ontwerp is geanaliseer deur middel van 3-D Berekenings Vloeimeganika (BVM) analises met behulp van CFX® en eksperimentele data. Die nuwe sentrifugale kompressor is ontwerp deur middel van 1-D en 3-D BVM analises met behulp van CompAero en CFX®. Die doel is om ’n kompressor te ontwerp wat die totale-tot-statiese drukverhouding maksimeer. Die grootte van die kompressor is beperk deur die geometrie van die gasturbine omhulsel. Aangesien die turbinerotor onveranderd sal bly, moet die insetdrywing, massa-vloeitempo en rotasiespoed dieselfde bly. Die eksperimentele opstelling is gebou en die numeriese resultate van die standaard kompressor is teenoor die eksperimentele resultate gevalideer. ’n Nuwe sentrifugale kompressor is ontwerp. Die totale-tot-statiese drukverhouding is verhoog van 2.50 tot 3.30 teen ’n rotasiespoed van 46 000 omwentelings per minuut. Die doeltreffendheid van die kompressor is verbeter van 63.8% tot 85.6%. Die insetdrywing van die nuwe kompressor ontwerp het met 1.6% afgewyk van die vasgestelde maatstaf, en met 1.3% van die numeriese data van die standaard kompressor.

How can reductionism lead to a greater experience and add to the appeal of a product? The Land Rover BackPacker is a minimalistic travel vehicle that questions the space and the complexity needed in a vehicle while exploring the world 4x4 inspired by the necessity of reduction in today's consumerist world to fight climate change and the freedom of travelling light. Its open design creates an interactive space with it's surroundings for 2 people which is created in a multifunctional approach to be more then a car but a space to hang out and a place to sleep in the wild. The project is highly inspired by the global adventures of the very first Land Rover Series 01 and it’s modular and highly functional design.  To reinterpret this spirit and to bring it into a future context was the main goal besides combining it with the approach and philosophy of modern minimalists and the efficiency of tiny house lifestyles. Living in a compressed space, how this affects the interaction with nature and what reduction adds to the user in the travel context are key points. Finding the right balance between the amount of space and comfort needed on a trip and the openness and simplicity of the vehicle to guarantee and unfiltered experience was a major challenge.After understanding the future context of the vehicle, the design process started with exploring different packages of the car and prototyping different ways to create a space in nature in the most minimal way using Virtual Reality and quick 2D doodles.  This led to optimising the proportions and the chosen theme of the design in developed 2D renderings and early CAS models.  The final design concept was developed in 3D software to translate the digital data into a physical scale model in the end.All in all the Land Rover BackPacker is a reductive travel vehicle concept targeting the future needs of more sustainable and more flexible experiences. It’s designed to be part of an on-demand car sharing service which is setup globally to reach people of different regions, different cultures and different backgrounds. It provides a space for two people to move freely, to hang out and to sleep in nature. To make travelling a no-brainer, the vehicle service includes modular equipment kits which provide the things needed during different trips in nature.  The user can choose from e.g. weather protection, cooking equipment, a water tank or a solar sun sail, depending on where the next journey starts.