DepthX -Thinking Robot to Explore Jupiter's Moon Europa
DepthX, a mushroom-shaped machine, an underwater hydrobot that 'thinks' for itself, is being developed to search for life on one of Jupiter's moons. DepthX is currently undergoing tests in one of the world's deepest flooded cave systems -the El Zacaton cave complex in Mexico- to simulate penetrating the ice-covered sea that surrounds Jupiter's moons Europa. The next version of the machine will be tested in Lake Vostok, a deep ice-covered lake in the Antarctic.
Scientists believe Europa's ocean, which is warmed by gravitational forces, could be one of the best places in the Solar System to look for life. A craft sent to Europa would use nuclear power to melt through the 10km of ice that cover the moon's ocean.
The mission, not likely to take place until 2019, will be one of the most complex ever attempted by the American space agency NASA.
Posted by Casey Kazan. See also, "What do Robots Dream Of?"
ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS
EXCEPT EUROPA
ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE
Posted by: Ian | May 28, 2009 at 08:48 AM
CUZ WE R ALIENZ DAT ACTUALLY POST ON TEH INTERNETS INSTED OF TALKIN DIRECTLY TO NASA. ATTEMPT NO LANDINGZ NASA IM SUR UR READIN DIS! OOZARK FWOGL!
Posted by: WHY | June 02, 2009 at 04:04 PM
@Why: You obviously never saw 2001 and the sequel, 2010.
Posted by: Jeff | August 01, 2009 at 10:18 AM