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 (21-Jul-94)
Message-ID: <1994Jul31.080915.27884@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 08:09:15 GMT
Lines: 101

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 (21-Jul-1994)

During the deployment of Dante 1 to Mt. Erebus last year, the volcano
had a minor eruption while several members of the team were on the rim
of the crater.  The eruption was small enough so that no real damage
occurred to either robot or personnel, but big enough to get
everyone's attention and remind us that volcanoes are hazards to be
respected (yes, that is a bit of intentional understatement).  This
morning Mt. Spurr decided to give us the same message.  During the
daily breakfast meeting we received a call from the Alaska Volcano
Observatory stating they had just observed a "significant seismic
activity" on the volcano.  It could not be determined at that time
whether the activity was a tremble from the volcano or a very large
landslide inside the crater, but AVO said that if anyone had been on
the crater rim at the time they would have been immediately evacuated.
This (obviously) got our attention.

In the mean time, Dante arrived at Beluga at about 4:00am, and was
trucked off the barge about two hours later.  The six-mile truck ride
from the barge landing to the Chugach Power Association plant was
across extremely rough (washboard- type) dirt roads, which induced
considerable vibrations in excess of all vibrations to which the robot
has been previously subjected.  There is some concern about possible
loosening or damage to the contents of the electronics box, although
none could be readily identified upon visual inspection.  Schedule and
weather permitting, we may fly a workstation over to Beluga along with
the other support equipment to be shipped there tomorrow, and perform
an additional check of Dante's status after the truck ride.

Back at the UAA staging area, the team spent the day repacking the rim
support equipment after the field test and preparing for transport to
the volcano.  As part of this process, the items identified during the
field test as potential improvements to the deployment procedures were
reviewed and acted upon (most of these items were "nits" which would
not hinder the overall ability of either Dante or the team to deploy,
but would improve the efficiency of the deployment operation).  By
midnight all the support equipment was packed and ready for transport
to Beluga.

Under the current plan, the support equipment will be flown via
fixed-wing aircraft from Anchorage to Beluga tomorrow morning, to join
Dante at the Beluga airfield (according to Dave Wettergreen, who
accompanied Dante on the barge last night, the road from the barge
landing to the power plant and the airstrip coincide at one point -
you can tell when you have reached the airstrip, because the road is
suddenly a lot wider!).  If weather permits, the Alaska National Guard
will then use a Blackhawk helicopter to fly the equipment the 30 miles
from Beluga to Mt. Spurr, where it will be dropped at the locations
identified by the recon team earlier this week.  The deployment team
would then fly in via commercial helicopter on Saturday morning to
establish the rim station and initiate Dante's descent into the
volcano.

If the weather does not permit flying the robot to the volcano (and it
should be stressed that at this point the weather is REALLY CRAPPY and
getting worse - 4000 foot ceilings, fairly constant rain and poor
visibility make flying unlikely, and more storm fronts are moving in
over the weekend), then we start a day-to-day weather hold until
flyable conditions are achieved.  Once the robot is on the crater rim,
it can operate in almost any weather condition and the mission will
proceed.  From that point, it is expected to take Dante two days to
descend to the bottom of the crater, one day on the crater floor for
science observations, then two days back up.  If we do not fly to the
volcano tomorrow, then we will get ready to perform the electronics
box validation (reference to the possible vibration damage mentioned
above), and then keep the robot and equipment stored at Beluga until
we are able to get to the crater.

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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
