Robot Sweeping Asteroids

 

Featured unusual lander sampling on small space bodies with low gravity.

 

 

ESA scientists want to analyze the layers of dust on the small moons and asteroids in the solar system. Since at this small space bodies govern conditions of very low gravity, the performance of such tasks is very complex, because even the smallest drilling may lead to the lander's surface.

 

The team of Spanish scientists and engineers from the company Added Value Solutions (AVS), developed for ESA in this strange robot "cleaner" (above), which uses three rotating wiper, whose role is to sweep dust into the container for analysis. ESA says so in 20 seconds can collect 100 grams of dust, and the machine has the ability to automatically detect the distance between the brush and the surface to be necessary to conform the field that investigates.

 

Scientists say that this system works very promising on Earth, but it will have to check the conditions of microgravity, but will next month be tested in 90 parabolic flights that are carried out by special plane.

 

During testing, the robot will sweep the dust particles from 0.001 mm up to diameter stones of 3 cm. The samples will then be analyzed, and a state of microgravity, scientists will be able to adapt to the system.

 

If the prototype proves functional, robots could soon sweep a real asteroid.