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 (25-Jul-94)
Message-ID: <1994Jul31.081352.28196@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 08:13:52 GMT
Lines: 66

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 (25-Jul-1994)

Due to inclement weather conditions on Mt. Spurr, further movement of
Dante and the robot support equipment toward the rim of the volcano
crater could not be conducted today.  Rain and storms which moved in
to Anchorage early in the day and a 5000-foot cloud ceiling
surrounding the mountain prevented any attempts to fly the equipment
the last two miles from the dirt airstrip to the rim site.

The Alaska National Guard, which is providing the Blackhawk helicopter
equipment airlift support, made a reconnaissance flight to the dirt
airstrip early in the day to verify the weather conditions.  Once at
the airstrip (which is really just a cleared area in the scrub brush
maybe 1000 feet long, with a 15-degree bend in the middle of the
strip, and about half of which is level and half of which angles
steeply up the mountain) the pilots determined that the weather
conditions prevented flights to the rim, and that the conditions were
not likely to change during the day.

While at the airstrip, they also brought in supplies to the two team
members guarding Dante, and asked about any additional bear sightings.
It seems that the bear did make one more return visit during the
night, but was scared off without further incident through the use of
the air horn.

The deployment team in Anchorage had no duties or activities today,
other than to monitor the weather conditions (which continue to be
marginal) and await Tuesday's flight opportunities (if any).

From here, we continue 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.

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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
