Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!cat.cis.Brown.EDU!agate!ames!kronos.arc.nasa.gov!doctor
From: doctor@kronos.arc.nasa.gov (Terry Fong)
Subject: Dante II - Mt. Spurr Expedition Status (14-Jul-94)
Message-ID: <1994Jul31.075403.27176@ptolemy-ethernet.arc.nasa.gov>
Summary: status information on CMU/NASA volcano robot explorer
Keywords: Dante, teleoperations, volcano, Alaska
Sender: usenet@ptolemy-ethernet.arc.nasa.gov (usenet@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov)
Nntp-Posting-Host: tardis.arc.nasa.gov
Organization: NASA Ames Intelligent Mechanisms Group
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 1994 07:54:03 GMT
Lines: 74

The following is a status update on the Dante II project. Dante II is
an eight-legged robot (developed by the CMU Robotics Institute with
sponsorship from NASA) which is currently descending into the active
crater of Mt. Spurr, an Alaskan volcano 80 miles west of Anchorage,
Alaska. The primary objective of the Dante II project is to develop and
evaluate new techniques and technologies which can be applied to space
and planetary exploration. 

Throughout the Mt. Spurr expedition, Dante II is being remotely
operated from a base station in Anchorage using control station
software developed at CMU and NASA Ames. Live video coverage is
periodically available via NASA Select. Full mission details including
current status, real-time images/video, and technical data is available
via a WorldWideWeb server provided by the NASA Ames Intelligent
Mechanisms Group. This site can be accessed on the Internet using
information browsers such as NCSA Mosaic and the URL:

	http://maas-neotek.arc.nasa.gov/dante

Questions regarding the Dante II project may be addressed to me via email 
(terry@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov). Reponse time may be slow.

Terry Fong
NASA Ames Research Center

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Daily Report (14-Jul-1994)

The recon crew flew by helicopter to the volcano rim this morning.
John Bares, Henning Pangels and Tim Hegadorn flew to the rim.

A route for the mission was selected based on deployment and satellite
communications. Some potential sites were avoided because of continual
falling rocks.

The route will be along the east side of the volcano and start in snow
at about a 20 degree slope for the first 100 feet. The course then
becomes a dirt transition to a steeper slope with a slight cross
slope, similar to our Pittsburgh test sites. After the transition is
more snow for a couple 100 feet before the terrain becomes very
difficult with what appears to be gullies or channels in the rock.
The bottom of the course is also hidden in steam.

The crew did have enough time on the rim to lay out markers for rim
station, satellite dish, generator and robot starting location.  A six
foot deep trench was also dug in the snow for a railroad tie anchor.
There is some concern that location chosen for the rim camera may make
cabling difficult and may have to be moved. Currently the rim camera
should have a clear view of the entire mission.

Weather on the rim was marginal. There was both a light rain and snow.
Occasional cloud cover also covered the crater. Even in these
marginal conditions the helicopter pilot was confident of deployment
and practiced by flying in the railroad tie anchor.

Communications tests continued today with the robot being controlled
from the base camp site, a few miles away, through the satellite link.
The NASA ACTS satellite also was tested through to Washington, D.C.
with a loop back test. The ACTS satellite will carry Dante video. A
video decompresser is needed to complete this link and it should
arrive early next week.

A local test site has been selected to practice deployment and final
communications and control from anchorage and additional control
sites. The current plan is to finish preparations by saturday and do
the test run on monday.

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-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
 "Every once in a while declare        Terry Fong <terry@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov>
  peace. It confuses the hell out      NASA Ames, M/S 269-3, Moffett Field, CA
  of your enemies" -- Rule of Acq. #76      (415) 604-6063, (415) 604-6081 lab
