Toward extraplanetary under-ice exploration: Robotic steps in the Arctic

  • Authors:

  • Clayton Kunz;Chris Murphy;Hanumant Singh;Claire Pontbriand;Robert A. Sohn;Sandipa Singh;Taichi Sato;Chris Roman;Ko-ichi Nakamura;Michael Jakuba;Ryan Eustice;Richard Camilli;John Bailey

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering;Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering;Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering;Department of Geology and Geophysics;Department of Geology and Geophysics;Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543;Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8639, Japan;Department of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882;National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan;Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia;Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543;Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Field Robotics - Special Issue on Space Robotics, Part II
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

This paper describes the design and use of two new autonomous underwater vehicles, Jaguar and Puma, which were deployed in the summer of 2007 at sites at 85°N latitude in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean to search for hydrothermal vents. These robots are the first to be deployed and recovered through ice to the deep ocean (3,500 m) for scientific research. We examine the mechanical design, software architecture, navigation considerations, sensor suite, and issues with deployment and recovery in the ice based on the missions they carried out. Successful recoveries of vehicles deployed under the ice require two-way acoustic communication, flexible navigation strategies, redundant localization hardware, and software that can cope with several different kinds of failure. The ability to direct an autonomous underwater vehicle via the low-bandwidth and intermittently functional acoustic channel is of particular importance. On the basis of our experiences, we also discuss the applicability of the technology and operational approaches of this expedition to the exploration of Jupiter's ice-covered moon Europa. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.