Antarctica: A Test Bed for Space Exploration

• Main Author: Chin, Mark
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 2003
• Subjects: Lake Vostok; McCarthy; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14005

Antarctica is well know for being the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and most isolated continent in the world. For this reason, it is similar to many conditions that exist On planetary bodies in the solar system. Because of these similarities, Antarctica is a prime choice for testing space exploration technology. This review will focus on the past and future of using Antarctica to test space exploration technology. Using Antarctica to test technology intended for space exploration is not a new idea. Space faring counties, as far back as the 1960s, recognized the benefits Antarctica offers for testing new equipment in extra terrestrial environments right here on Earth. In the Dry Valleys machinery and scientists experience one of the closest envilonments to what would be faced on Mars (Suedfeld, 2000). Some lecent lesearch done in Antarctica includes the testing of the technology 'telepresence,' which is a way for scientists to interact in an environment from a distance (McCarthy, 1993). The autonomous robot Nomad has worked in Antarctica searching for meteorites. The same technology may be used to search for water on the moon, study locks, or look for biological life on Mars (Nordwall, 2000). The study of the subglacial Lake Vostok has the same problems as studying Jupiter's moon Europa, and it is much easier to overcome these problems here on Earth than millions of miles away. "As one of the harshest environments on Earth, Antarctica is a unique place to test planetary robotic technologies. The low temperatuæ, lack of communications and remoteness make it an interesting terrestrial analogy of the Moon and Mars" (Moorehead et al, l). Antarctica is well know for being the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and most isolated continent in the world. For this reason, it is similar to many conditions that exist On planetary bodies in the solar system. Because of these similarities, Antarctica is a prime choice for testing space exploration technology. This review will focus on the past and future of using ...