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- P51F-1247: SLUSH: Development of an Ice Drilling Probe to Access Ocean Worlds
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Board 1247‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)NOLA CC
Author(s):Generic 'disconnected' Message
Leo Stolov, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin (First Author, Presenting Author)
Kris Zacny, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin
Frank Sheeran, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin
Caleb Lang, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin
Vishaal Singh, Southwest Research Institute Boulder
Kathryn Bywaters, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin
Christine McCarthy, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
Tatiana Michel-Villalobos, Honeybee Robotics-Blue Origin
Fred Bonn, Integrity Communications Solutions
Mike Tipton, Integrity Communications Solutions
The SLUSH probe is designed to search for life by reaching the hidden oceans beneath the thick ice on Europa, Enceladus, and Mars. It works by drilling and melting through kilometers of ice, carrying scientific instruments to the subsurface water. The probe sends data back to the surface using a special tether containing electrical wires and a fiber optic cable. If the tether breaks due to ice movement, the system can still send signals using the remaining wires as an antenna. As the probe descends, it leaves behind communication “pucks” in the ice, shortening the active tether and helping with data transmission. The team tested this system using prototype probes and simulated Europa-like conditions in the lab. These tests show the tether can withstand icy stresses and still transmit data, improving how we explore and communicate in the deep, icy environments of ocean worlds.
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