A professor at Stanford University’s Autonomous Systems Laboratory and his students have been awarded a “Phase 2” grant from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which supports robotics research in space, after proving the feasibility of a robot crawling in a space cave. Over the next two years, the research team will conduct 3D simulations, prototype the robot, develop strategies to help the robot avoid risks, and test it in a realistic mission environment—perhaps a cave in New Mexico or California. Research suggests that searching for evidence of past or present life on Mars is best done deep beneath its surface — at least 2 meters below the surface . Mars’ thin atmosphere means that the red planet’s surface, bombarded by high-energy radiation from space, could rapidly degrade substances such as amino acids, which could provide fragile evidence of life. Such harsh surface conditions also present challenges for astronauts, which is one reason scientists have suggested that caves on other planets could be the key to future exploration. Huge cave systems on the Moon and Mars could serve as sanctuaries for future space travelers. Caves may also contain resources such as water, revealing more about the planet’s history — and be a haven for evidence of microbial life. A wide variety of cave systems exist on Earth, many of which are untapped, that support diverse microbiomes. But caves are dangerous—and since we’ve never peered inside a Martian cave, it’s hard to know what to expect.
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