Effects of Snow Conditions on Antarctic Air-Dropped Penetrator

• Main Authors: Miller, Alex, Brown, Michael, Makikalli, Aaron, Poe, Daniel Pekka, Eckert, Christopher, Ruszczyk, Chester A., Hoffman, Jeffrey, Elosegui, Pedro
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2022
• Subjects: Antarctic; Ross Ice Shelf; The Spike; Antarc*; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/333202

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 12-16 December 2022, Chicago The Seismo-Geodetic Ice Penetrator (SGIP) is a platform for delivering a seismometer and GNSS sensor to the Ross Ice Shelf to measure dynamic events and resonant forcings caused by atmospheric and ocean gravity waves. SGIP is composed of two pieces: a lower “body” portion with the seismometer, and a top “flare” portion to increase aerodynamic stability and constrain the terminal velocity. The two portions will be joined when falling through the air; then, when the spike penetrates into the ice, the flange will be left at the surface, attached by cabling to the “body” to transmit data back to operators. We present a modeling workflow which links together a small drop testing model, finite element explicit dynamics model, and a sensitivity analysis of snow conditions using core sample data to provide context for an upcoming full-size field test. Implications of snow, ice, and firn composition on component shock loads are also discussed. Effects of snow conditions on thermal systems, potential snow brake architectures, and shock absorption materials are also analyzed Peer reviewed