How to Explore the Surface of a Comet or Asteroid

September 7, 2015 9:50 PM

Hopping, tumbling and flipping over are not typical maneuvers you would expect from a spacecraft exploring other worlds. Traditional Mars rovers, for example, roll around on wheels, and they can't operate upside-down. But on a small body, such as an asteroid or a comet, the low-gravity conditions and rough surfaces make traditional driving all the more hazardous. Enter Hedgehog: a new concept for a robot that is specifically designed to overcome the challenges of traversing small bodies.(via)
posted by AElfwine Evenstar (8 comments total)

PLease tell me they're going to call it Spiney Norman.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:17 PM on September 7, 2015 [4 favorites]

It'll be a fine toy for a Little Prince.
posted by sammyo at 3:33 AM on September 8, 2015

It's a companion cube.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 5:51 AM on September 8, 2015

Was that a rubber duck on top of the hedgehog in the simulated sarlacc pit?
posted by moonmilk at 7:15 AM on September 8, 2015

I believe it was a rubber duck. A rubber duck of SCIENCE.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 7:44 AM on September 8, 2015

Rubber ducky, you're the one
You make low-g so much fun
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 7:50 AM on September 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

OK, now I know where Neal Stephenson does his research.

Can't wait for the nanotechnology smart whips.
posted by rokusan at 12:50 PM on September 8, 2015

It looks neat, but I'm interested in this probe designed to explore an even more hostile environment.
posted by happyroach at 4:39 PM on September 8, 2015