agencies
Saturday, May 13, 2023 06:00 PM
Scientists work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory New bot test In the form of a snake that can adapt to different surface conditions and explore celestial bodies, RT reported.
The team hopes to send this robot into outer space to help answer the age-old question of whether life exists beyond Earth.
The Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor, or EELS, is a snake-like robot designed to maneuver through solid and liquid formations while collecting samples.
The robot is about 4 meters long and weighs approximately 100 kilograms, and is able to glide over difficult terrain using rotating sections.
The robot was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to be sent to Enceladus, one of Saturn’s 83 moons, in search of water, an environment capable of supporting life.
The icy surface of Enceladus is believed to be relatively smooth, with temperatures above minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to data from the Voyager spacecraft dating back to the 1980s.
And in 2005, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft discovered that icy particles stream from the surface of Saturn’s moon into space, forming their own ring as they orbit the planet.
These eruptions from the lunar surface gave credence to observations that a vast liquid ocean might lie beneath the surface.
Hostile conditions are just one of the many challenges the EELS team considered while designing a vehicle that can survive the harsh environment.
The complex propulsion system would allow surveying of solid or liquid landscapes, and scientists have tested the surveyor in hostile areas on Earth. The robot was used to examine glaciers and volcanoes to test its capabilities.
NASA has not set a launch date for the EELS project, which means any mission is likely years away.
The space agency said that if the search is successful, it could lead to a deeper exploration of celestial bodies that were once considered out of reach.
