Abigail Gu
Research Mentor(s): Cheng Li
Mentor Department: Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
Authors:
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 107
Abstract
The environment of Mars’s moon Phobos differs significantly from Earth’s, with gravity around 1/1000th the gravity of Earth and distinct soil mechanics. To enable effective rover-based exploration, we must understand how the wheels of a rover will interact with the surface of Phobos. In order to study the interactions between the soil and rover wheels in Phobos conditions, a testing bed was conceptualized using the CAD software SolidWorks and insight from previous Phobos wheel testing beds. Different wheel structures were also created to compare results from testing. The program ProjectChrono was also utilized to help analyze the soil interactions with the wheel. From the CAD model, a 14†x 26†steel metal frame, paneled with sealed plexiglass, marine plywood, and a gantry to hold the wheel were constructed. By utilizing the testing bed to simulate Phobos-like conditions, valuable data can be gathered from the simulated soil mechanics and wheel mobility, which will help aid in the optimization of the Martian Moons eXploration space probe soon to be deployed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2029 on Phobos’ surface. This research contributes to enhancing our understanding of Martian moons and improving the effectiveness of future space exploration missions.
