Join the Alien Search, login or register FREE on Aliens and Space Forum

Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site

NASA JPL Developing Underwater Robots to Venture Deep Below Polar Ice

By NASA
August 29, 2024 in NASA

https://www.aliensandspace.com/topic/13877-nasa-jpl-developing-underwater-robots-to-venture-deep-below-polar-ice/

Followers 0

Recommended Posts

Publishers

NASA

Posted August 29, 2024

Publishers

Posted August 29, 2024

1-pia26349-fig-a-icenode-sb-16.jpg?w=102 — A prototype of a robot built to access underwater areas where Antarctic ice shelves meet land is lowered through the ice during a field test north of Alaska in March. JPL is developing the concept, called IceNode, to take melt-rate measurements that would improve the accuracy of sea level rise projections.
U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes

2-pia26349-icenode-sb-jpg.jpg?w=1024 — Conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, this field test marked IceNode’s first in a polar environment. The team hopes to one day deploy a fleet of the autonomous robots beneath Antarctic ice shelves.
U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes

Called IceNode, the project envisions a fleet of autonomous robots that would help determine the melt rate of ice shelves.

On a remote patch of the windy, frozen Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California huddled together, peering down a narrow hole in a thick layer of sea ice. Below them, a cylindrical robot gathered test science data in the frigid ocean, connected by a tether to the tripod that had lowered it through the borehole.

This test gave engineers a chance to operate their prototype robot in the Arctic. It was also a step toward the ultimate vision for their project, called IceNode: a fleet of autonomous robots that would venture beneath Antarctic ice shelves to help scientists calculate how rapidly the frozen continent is losing ice — and how fast that melting could cause global sea levels to rise.

Warming Waters, Treacherous Terrain

If melted completely, Antarctica’s ice sheet would raise global sea levels by an estimated 200 feet (60 meters). Its fate represents one of the greatest uncertainties in projections of sea level rise. Just as warming air temperatures cause melting at the surface, ice also melts when in contact with warm ocean water circulating below. To improve computer models predicting sea level rise, scientists need more accurate melt rates, particularly beneath ice shelves — miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land. Although they don’t add to sea level rise directly, ice shelves crucially slow the flow of ice sheets toward the ocean.

A remote camera captured an IceNode prototype deployed below the frozen surface of Lake Superior, off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, during a field test in 2022. The three thin legs of the robot’s “landing gear” affix the prototype to the icy ceiling.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

The challenge: The places where scientists want to measure melting are among Earth’s most inaccessible. Specifically, scientists want to target the underwater area known as the “grounding zone,” where floating ice shelves, ocean, and land meet — and to peer deep inside unmapped cavities where ice may be melting the fastest. The treacherous, ever-shifting landscape above is dangerous for humans, and satellites can’t see into these cavities, which are sometimes beneath a mile of ice. IceNode is designed to solve this problem.

“We’ve been pondering how to surmount these technological and logistical challenges for years, and we think we’ve found a way,” said Ian Fenty, a JPL climate scientist and IceNode’s science lead. “The goal is getting data directly at the ice-ocean melting interface, beneath the ice shelf.”

Floating Fleet

Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, IceNode’s engineers are developing vehicles about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long and 10 inches (25 centimeters) in diameter, with three-legged “landing gear” that springs out from one end to attach the robot to the underside of the ice. The robots don’t feature any form of propulsion; instead, they would position themselves autonomously with the help of novel software that uses information from models of ocean currents.

JPL’s IceNode project is designed for one of Earth’s most inaccessible locations: underwater cavities deep beneath Antarctic ice shelves. The goal is getting melt-rate data directly at the ice-ocean interface in areas where ice may be melting the fastest. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean, the robots would ride those currents on a long journey beneath an ice shelf. Upon reaching their targets, the robots would each drop their ballast and rise to affix themselves to the bottom of the ice. Their sensors would measure how fast warm, salty ocean water is circulating up to melt the ice, and how quickly colder, fresher meltwater is sinking.

The IceNode fleet would operate for up to a year, continuously capturing data, including seasonal fluctuations. Then the robots would detach themselves from the ice, drift back to the open ocean, and transmit their data via satellite.

“These robots are a platform to bring science instruments to the hardest-to-reach locations on Earth,” said Paul Glick, a JPL robotics engineer and IceNode’s principal investigator. “It’s meant to be a safe, comparatively low-cost solution to a difficult problem.”

Arctic Field Test

While there is additional development and testing ahead for IceNode, the work so far has been promising. After previous deployments in California’s Monterey Bay and below the frozen winter surface of Lake Superior, the Beaufort Sea trip in March 2024 offered the first polar test. Air temperatures of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 Celsius) challenged humans and robotic hardware alike.

The test was conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, a three-week operation that provides researchers a temporary base camp from which to conduct field work in the Arctic environment.

As the prototype descended about 330 feet (100 meters) into the ocean, its instruments gathered salinity, temperature, and flow data. The team also conducted tests to determine adjustments needed to take the robot off-tether in future.

“We’re happy with the progress. The hope is to continue developing prototypes, get them back up to the Arctic for future tests below the sea ice, and eventually see the full fleet deployed underneath Antarctic ice shelves,” Glick said. “This is valuable data that scientists need. Anything that gets us closer to accomplishing that goal is exciting.”

IceNode has been funded through JPL’s internal research and technology development program and its Earth Science and Technology Directorate. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California.

News Media Contact

Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov

2024-115

Details

Last Updated

Aug 29, 2024

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

View the full article

Quote

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Reply to this topic...

× Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead

Only 75 emoji are allowed.

× Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead

× Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor

× You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Insert image from URL

https://www.aliensandspace.com/topic/13877-nasa-jpl-developing-underwater-robots-to-venture-deep-below-polar-ice/

Followers 0

Go to topic listing

Similar Topics
- NASA Supports Wildland Fire Technology Demonstration
  By NASA
  
  3 min read
  Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
  Drones were a key part of testing new technology in support of a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. The effort is part of the agency’s multi-year FireSense project, which is aimed at testing technologies that could eventually serve the U.S. Forest Service as well as local, state, and other federal wildland fire agencies. From left are Tim Wallace and Michael Filicchia of the Desert Research Institute in Nevada; Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Alexander Jaffe of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards California; and Alana Dachtler of International Met Systems of Kentwood, Michigan.NASA/Jackie Shuman Advancements in NASA’s airborne technology have made it possible to gather localized wind data and assess its impacts on smoke and fire behavior. This information could improve wildland fire decision making and enable operational agencies to better allocate firefighters and resources. A small team from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is demonstrating how some of these technologies work.
  Two instruments from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia – a sensor gathering 3D wind data and a radiosonde that measures temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity data – were installed on NASA Armstrong’s Alta X drone for a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. The effort is part of the agency’s multi-year FireSense project, which is aimed at testing technologies that could eventually serve the U.S. Forest Service as well as local, state, and other federal wildland fire agencies.
  “The objectives for the Alta X portion of the multi-agency prescribed burn include a technical demonstration for wildland fire practitioners, and data collection at various altitudes for the Alabama Forestry Commission operations,” said Jennifer Fowler, FireSense project manager. “Information gathered at the different altitudes is essential to monitor the variables for a prescribed burn.”
  Those variables include the mixing height, which is the extent or depth to which smoke will be dispersed, a metric Fowler said is difficult to predict. Humidity must also be above 30% for a prescribed burn. The technology to collect these measurements locally is not readily available in wildland fire operations, making the Alta X and its instruments key in the demonstration of prescribed burn technology.
  A drone from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, flies with a sensor to gather 3D wind data and a radiosonde that measures temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity data from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The drone and instruments supported a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. The effort is part of the agency’s multi-year FireSense project, which is aimed at testing technologies that could eventually serve the U.S. Forest Service as well as local, state, and other federal wildland fire agencies.International Met Systems/Alana Dachtler In addition to the Alta X flights beginning March 25, NASA Armstrong’s B200 King Air will fly over actively burning fires at an altitude of about 6,500 feet. Sensors onboard other aircraft supporting the mission will fly at lower altitudes during the fire, and at higher altitudes before and after the fire for required data collection. The multi-agency mission will provide data to confirm and adjust the prescribed burn forecast model.
  Small, uncrewed aircraft system pilots from NASA Armstrong completed final preparations to travel to Alabama and set up for the research flights. The team – including Derek Abramson, chief engineer for the subscale flight research laboratory; Justin Hall, NASA Armstrong chief pilot of small, uncrewed aircraft systems; and Alexander Jaffe, a drone pilot – will set up, fly, observe airborne operations, all while keeping additional aircraft batteries charged. The launch and recovery of the Alta X is manual, the mission profile is flown autonomously to guarantee the same conditions for data collection.
  “The flight profile is vertical – straight up and straight back down from the surface to about 3,000 feet altitude,” Abramson said. “We will characterize the mixing height and changes in moisture, mapping out how they both change throughout the day in connection with the burn.”
  In August 2024, a team of NASA researchers used the NASA Langley Alta X and weather instruments in Missoula, Montana, for a FireSense project drone technology demonstration. These instruments were used to generate localized forecasting that provides precise and sustainable meteorological data to predict fire behavior and smoke impacts.
  Justin Link, left, pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, and Justin Hall, chief pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, install weather instruments on an Alta X drone at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Members of the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory used the Alta X to support the agency’s FireSense project in March 2025 for a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama.NASA/Steve Freeman Share
  Details
  Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactJay Levinejay.levine-1@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
  Armstrong Flight Research Center Airborne Science B200 Drones & You Langley Research Center Science Mission Directorate Explore More
  5 min read NASA Langley’s Legacy of Landing
  Article 7 hours ago 4 min read NASA Makes Progress on Advanced Drone Safety Management System
  Article 23 hours ago 2 min read What Are the Dangers of Going to Space? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 55
  Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
  Armstrong Flight Research Center
  Humans in Space
  Climate Change
  Solar System
  View the full article
- NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Assigned to First Space Station Mission
  By NASA
  
  NASA astronaut Christopher Williams poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Chris Williams will embark on his first mission to the International Space Station, serving as a flight engineer and Expedition 74 crew member.
  Williams will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft in November, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the trio will spend approximately eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
  During his expedition, Williams will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations that help prepare humans for future space missions and benefit humanity.
  Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Williams graduated with the 23rd astronaut class in 2024. He began training for his first space station flight assignment immediately after completing initial astronaut candidate training.
  Williams was born in New York City, and considers Potomac, Maryland, his hometown. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Stanford University in California and a doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, where his research focused on astrophysics. Williams completed Medical Physics Residency training at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He was working as a clinical physicist and researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston when he was selected as an astronaut.
  For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is able to more fully focus its resources on deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
  Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
  https://www.nasa.gov/station
  -end-
  Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
  Headquarters, Washington
  202-358-1100
  joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
  Chelsey Ballarte
  Johnson Space Center, Houston
  281-483-5111
  chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
  Share
  Details
  Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
  Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
- La NASA aumenta su eficiencia con un piso modificado para el avión X-66
  By NASA
  
  3 min read
  Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
  Eric Garza, técnico de ingeniería en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelos Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, corta madera contrachapada a medida para las tablas del piso temporal del avión demostrador experimental X-66 el 26 de agosto de 2024.NASA/Steve Freeman Lee esta historia en español aquí.
  La NASA diseño unas tablas de piso temporales para el avión MD-90, que se utilizaran mientras el avión se transforma en el demostrador experimental X-66. Estas tablas de piso protegerán el piso original y agilizarán el proceso de modificación.
  En apoyo al proyecto Demostrador de Vuelo Sostenible de la agencia, un pequeño equipo del Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelos Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, construyó tablas de piso temporales para ahorrarle tiempo y recursos al proyecto. La retirada e instalación repetidas del piso original durante el proceso de modificación requería mucho tiempo. El uso de paneles temporales también garantiza la protección de las tablas del piso original y su aptitud para el vuelo cuando se finalicen las modificaciones y se vuelva a instalar el piso original.
  “La tarea de crear las tablas de piso temporales para el MD-90 implica un proceso meticuloso dirigido a facilitar las modificaciones, manteniendo la seguridad y la eficacia. La necesidad de estas tablas de piso temporales surge del detallado procedimiento necesario para retirar y reinstalar los pisos originales del fabricante (OEM, por su acrónimo inglés),” explica Jason Nelson, jefe de fabricación experimental. Él es uno de los dos miembros del equipo de fabricación – un técnico de ingeniería y un inspector – que fabrica acerca de 50 tablas de piso temporales, con dimensiones que varían entre 20 pulgadas por 36 pulgadas y 42 pulgadas por 75 pulgadas.
  Una máquina de madera corta agujeros precisos en madera contrachapada para las tablas del piso temporal el 26 de agosto de 2024, en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California. El piso fue diseñado para el avión de demonstración experimental X-66. NASA/Steve Freeman Nelson continuó, “Como estas tablas OEM se quitarán y volverán a instalar varias veces para acomodar las modificaciones necesarias, las tablas temporales ahorrarán al equipo tiempo y recursos valiosos. También proporcionarán el mismo nivel de seguridad y resistencia que las tablas OEM, garantizando que el proceso se desarrolle sin problemas y sin comprometer la calidad.”
  El diseño y la creación de prototipos del piso fue un proceso meticuloso, pero la solución temporal desempeña un papel crucial en la optimización del tiempo y los recursos en los esfuerzos de la NASA por avanzar en la seguridad y la eficiencia de los viajes aéreos. El proyecto Demostrador de Vuelo Sostenible de la agencia busca informar la próxima generación de aviones pasajeros de un solo pasillo, que son las aeronaves más comunes de aviación comercial de todo el mundo. La NASA se asoció con Boeing para desarrollar el avión de demostración experimental X-66. El Taller de Fabricación Experimental de Armstrong de la NASA lleva a cabo modificaciones y trabajos de reparación en aeronaves, que van desde la creación de algo tan pequeño como un soporte de aluminio hasta la modificación de la estructura principal de las alas, las costillas del fuselaje, las superficies de control y otras tareas de apoyo a las misiones.
  Eric Garza, técnico de ingeniería en el Taller de Fabricación Experimental del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California, observa cómo una máquina de madera corta agujeros para las tablas del piso temporal el 26 de agosto de 2024. El piso fue diseñado para el avión de demostración experimental X-66. NASA/Steve Freeman Artículo Traducido por: Priscila Valdez
  Share
  Details
  Last Updated Apr 03, 2025 EditorDede DiniusContactSarah Mannsarah.mann@nasa.gov Related Terms
  Aeronáutica NASA en español Explore More
  4 min read El X-59 de la NASA completa las pruebas electromagnéticas
  Article 3 weeks ago 11 min read La NASA identifica causa de pérdida de material del escudo térmico de Orion de Artemis I
  Article 4 months ago 10 min read Preguntas frecuentes: La verdadera historia del cuidado de la salud de los astronautas en el espacio
  Article 4 months ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
  Armstrong Flight Research Center
  Humans in Space
  Climate Change
  Solar System
  View the full article
- How hidden lakes threaten Antarctic Ice Sheet stability
  By European Space Agency
  
  For decades, satellites have played a crucial role in our understanding of the remote polar regions. The ongoing loss of Antarctic ice, owing to the climate crisis, is, sadly, no longer surprising. However, satellites do more than just track the accelerating flow of glaciers towards the ocean and measure ice thickness.
  New research highlights how ESA’s CryoSat mission has been used to uncover the hidden impact of subglacial lakes – vast reservoirs of water buried deep under the ice – that can suddenly drain into the ocean in dramatic outbursts and affect ice loss.
  View the full article
- What Are the Dangers of Going to Space? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 55
  By NASA
  
  2 min read
  Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
  What are the dangers of going to space?
  
  For human spaceflight, the first thing I think about is the astronauts actually strapping themselves to a rocket. And if that isn’t dangerous enough, once they launch and they’re out into space in deep exploration, we have to worry about radiation.
  
  Radiation is coming at them from all directions. From the Sun, we have solar particles. We have galactic cosmic rays that are all over in the universe. And those cause damage to DNA. On Earth here, we use sunscreen to protect us from DNA damage. Our astronauts are protected from the shielding that’s around them in the space vehicles.
  
  We also have to worry about microgravity. So what happens there? We see a lot of bone and muscle loss in our astronauts. And so to prevent this, we actually have the astronauts exercising for hours every day. And of course we don’t want to run out of food on a space exploration mission. So we want to make sure that we have everything that the astronauts need to take with them to make sure that we can sustain them.
  
  There are many risks associated with human space exploration. NASA has been planning for these missions to make our astronauts return home safely.
  
  [END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
  
  Full Episode List
  
  Full YouTube Playlist
  Share
  Details
  Last Updated Apr 02, 2025 Related Terms
  General Biological & Physical Sciences Human Research Program International Space Station (ISS) Science Mission Directorate Explore More
  3 min read NASA Continues Support for Private Astronaut Missions to Space Station
  Article 3 hours ago 2 min read Citizen Scientists Use NASA Open Science Data to Research Life in Space
  How can life thrive in deep space? The Open Science Data Repository Analysis Working Groups invite…
  Article 11 hours ago 2 min read NASA Receives 10 Nominations for the 29th Annual Webby Awards
  Article 1 day ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
  Missions
  Humans in Space
  Climate Change
  Solar System
  View the full article
Check out these Videos

Sign In

NASA JPL Developing Underwater Robots to Venture Deep Below Polar Ice

Recommended Posts