An Investigation Into Aerobot Technologies For Planetary Exploration

For those planets and moons that support an atmosphere, ying robots are likely to provide a practical solution to the problem of extended planetary surface coverage for terrain mapping, and surface/sub-surface composition surveying. Not only could such devices be used for suborbital mapping of terrain regions, but they could be used to transport and deploy science packages or even microrovers at di erent geographically separate land sites. Whilst much attention has been given to the use of rovers for planetary exploration, most notably the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Path nder mission and the Sojourner rover [1], the use of ying robots, or aerobots, for planetary exploration represents a highly innovative concept. Whilst rover technology is clearly competent at facilitating useful science, their application is terrain limited. They are capable of travelling relatively small distances and much of a planet's terrain is impassable to small wheeled vehicles, aerobots in comparison have no such limitations. The technological challenges posed by planetary aerobots are signi cant, and the authors are investigating the design and control of helium lled balloon robots that can y autonomously to designated landing sites. To study these problems we have constructed ALTAIR1 which is the rst aerobot to be designed as part of our ALTAIR (Aberystwyth Lighter Than Air Intelligent Robot) research programme. ALTAIR-1 is a modular laboratory based aerobot designed for rapid prototyping and experimentation within a controlled environment. Typical modules include: ight control and navigation microcontroller(s), beacon detection, altimeter and landing sensors, electrical power, vectored propulsion units, and aerobot to ground station RF communications. All modules are housed in the ALTAIR-1 gondola, which is supported from a helium lled spherical balloon. This paper provides an overview of our ALTAIR-1 aerobot.