Sometimes a rover just won’t do for planetary exploration. Since mass equals expense, the heavy mobile device can add too much to the payload; other times, the planetary subsurface of interest to scientists is too hard for a rover to drill into, or the topography is unsuitable or unknown for landing.
“A customized penetrator weighing 10 kilograms, fitted with specific instruments, and shaped like an artillery shell, can be deployed to impact a celestial body at high speed and become buried in its surface. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to gather data,” says Natasha Jackson, a student in her last year of the aerospace engineering program. “The advantages of penetrators include low mass, ease of deployment, good mechanical contact with the surface, subsurface access, and a temperature-stable and radiation-protected environment.”
Jackson spent four-months as a co-op student at the Canadian Space Agency developing a micro-penetrator concept for exploration of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Allowed to collide with the frozen surface, the penetrator would embed itself one or two meters and perform scientific investigations related to geology and astrobiology.
Tasked with identifying suitable targets and missions, Jackson learned about the priorities and behaviours of space agencies. The concept team chose the ice moon Enceladus because its southern pole has shooting ice plumes that imply there is liquid water near the surface.
“Enceladus hasn’t received much attention, but it is of interest to micro-biologists,” Jackson says. “Astrobiology is really being stressed in upcoming missions.”
With a target secured, Jackson worked through the operational subsystems the micro-penetrator required.
“It was an ideal assignment,” she says. “Working on the system as a whole enhanced my knowledge of the design considerations and how they are inter-related. It showed me the breadth of work that goes into space system design.”
Jackson was one of 17 Faculty of Engineering and Design students nominated for Carleton’s Co-op Student of the Year. Her supervisor Wanping Zheng, manager of space structures, thought the project would be beyond the capabilities of an undergrad student.
“The conceptual design of a micro-penetrator platform requires good knowledge of spacecraft and the skills of an experienced system engineer. Natasha accomplished all the tasks with high quality and made significant contributions to the project,” he says.
For Jackson, the practical engineering knowledge she gained was matched by the soft skill development that comes from working with professionals.
“Co-op placements help students develop technical skills as well as soft skills such as report writing and making presentations,” says Jackson. “I’d advise other students to think about the skills they want to develop and to discuss these with their supervisors, who can often steer a work term towards such development. In the end, the transferable skills developed during a work term are much more important than the specific subject matter of the work.”
More information on Carleton’s cooperative education opportunities
